4/6/2020 - bevetroppo Does not like this wine:

Jeez, there's no way to write about this wine without sounding like a complete a_hole, even to myself, so I might as well go for it. It was given to me by someone who was interested in my opinion. That should count for something, as should the old proverb, don't look a gift wine in the mouth. I now summon my inner Henny Youngman. Ok, I warned you...

Let me get my cards on the table: I don't ever drink oaky, alcoholic California fruit bombs by choice. It's a case of personal preference and in no way is meant to denigrate the legions who enjoy the category. If you believe that, I've got a vineyard in the New Jersey Pine Barrens you might be interested in...

This is so inky dark you could probably make it work on squid ink pasta. I mean, I was afraid if I got too close to the glass it would suck me in like the gravity field of a black hole. The nose has deep blackberry fruits and waves of oak and alcohol. In fact, maybe it's called a nose because the alcohol is so potent it could double as a nasal depilatory. Intense and mouth-filling jammy red and black fruit, toffee, coffee, and Cocoa Puffs. Plushy with oak and relatively gentrified tannins that we can positively state don't add insult to injury.

The back label proudly proclaims, in ALL CAPS I MIGHT ADD, "this estate reserve is a combination of the best Bordeaux wines (sic) each vintage." So that means it's a blend? It's not a Meritage it's a Meretritious. If I was their ancestor I’d be rolling over in my Graves. Even Rudi Kurniawan couldn't get away with that claim and he's in prison. I could understand a loose translation on a foreign wine label, but in Paso Robles they are just passing gas. Below in tiny letters it says 14.8% alcohol. I'd believe that was possible on the first day of fermentation but not one minute beyond.

Let's be fair, maybe it could mellow out and become stunning with some bottle age. I'll wager if used as a weapon it could prove to be a real stunner. Take my wine, please.