August 23, 2017 - Good fruit... up front and through the finish. Closes a bit tart, but nice.
April 6, 2017 - Held off on opening this wine due to most of the tasting notes that had already opened a bottle and had a satisfactory result. Most ratings were in the 90 plus range ( nothing over 92). I've always been a fan of the Three R's of Zinfandel ( Ravenswood, Rafanelli, and Rosenblum), so I had a feeling that something called "Mixed Blacks" might be a bit interesting. I made spare ribs tonite and opened a 2010 Cotes du Rhone ,but it just didn't seem complex enough to compliment my ribs, so I took a chance and opened the Icon hoping it would fill the bill. It's a 100% better than the Rhone! I immediately got intense spice and black currents from the nose which rose my expectations to no end. Don't get me wrong, this is no powerhouse (especially being ten years old), but it's such an improvement from the Cotes du Rhone that it's like night and day. This is a complex, multi-layered blend that is totally enjoyable. Zin, petite sirrah, Carignane and Alicante Bouchet are perfectly mixed to produce a wine that is a pleasure to drink. The spice and exotic finish make this wine an exceptional bottling that I'm so glad I save until today, because I feel that it is really at it's peak and certainly won't get much better. I have a habit of keeping wines too long in my cellar, but in this case I really hit a home run.
May 15, 2016 - Last bottle, glad I saved one, could have held off another year or two. This is just about perfect right now, tannins are still present but just about fully integrated. The balance is now spot on. Extremely long finish and extremely enjoyable!
September 17, 2014 - Pours thick; dark and foreboding with gem qualities in the edges. Delicious nose with a strong oak presentation accompanied by plum and raspberry aromas, and vanilla ice cream. Full bodied, very rich mouthfeel. Plum and blackberry flavors lead into a spicy mid palate with a good helping of alcohol. Average finish. Nothing spectacular, but it's an interesting blend.
September 6, 2014 - Opaque, black. Nose is dense black fruit and spice. Intense licorice and plum flavors with a long lingering spice finish. Drink up within the next year.
November 3, 2013 - Same as prior notes.
July 4, 2013 - Loads of black fruits. Blackberry and blueberry with a bit of strawberry on the finish. A really nice wine that is far from your ordinary California red. If you're looking for something different you'll really enjoy this.
March 24, 2013 - This wine needed a solid two hours to open up. Big and jammy with lots of sediment. At first it was a weird zin blend, but it mellowed out as time progressed and turned into quite a nice wine.
February 4, 2013 - Dark bLackish purple in the glass. Plum cobbler with vanilla cream on the moderately intense nose, echoed on the palate. Full body with rich mouthfeel and softly supple tannins on the finish. Probably at its peak within the next year, but should maintain satisfactory drinking for a couple of years beyond.
December 13, 2012 - Garnet, dark fruits, med-full bodied, plenty of tannins. Long finish. Great wine.