Region: Woodbridge, CA
This wine has a lot of pepper on the nose, with some rhubarb and caramel coming through also. On drinking, my mouth fills with that pepper, which is not something I ever mind. It is tart. Raspberry is the primary fruit, but there's some rhubarb, too. It's a thick, dense wine that probably would have benefited from decanting first, but still leaves you with a lighter presence on your palate than you'd expect. I thought it was enjoyable.
Other Bloggers' Thoughts:
Wine is Life The nose was full of fruit, with plums and blackberries. Also picked up hints of spice and a little earth. The taste was very fruit forward, with black cherry leading the way. Got some nice bramble fruit notes as well, followed by subtle black pepper and anise notes.
First the smell: plummy, dark fruits. Maybe a touch of cherry. Very pleasant.
The taste is very smooth. Full of berries, but mellow, not overpowering. I think most shiraz I've had tend to be a pretty peppery and I like that. But this one is light in that department (despite what the label says) . . . still it is quite good. No oak and finishes nice and slow. I would eat this with a good steak or a burger, maybe a nice sharp cheese. It's a good winter wine.
With some wines all you can do is try! This one had kind of a stinky nose newly poured but that improved as did the flavor once it was able to breath but as soon as it evolved into something kind of interesting it was gone - the taste totally dissipated as the wine made its way down your throat. What the heck? Maybe there is a bigger market than imagined for taste free wines, reminded me of 3 Blind Moose—for someone not into wine it's probably a real bargain!
Reviewed 2.24.10.
