50% zinfandel blend with dabs of PS, some sangiovese and something else I don't remember. Nice blend, the sangiovese tempers the zin a bit and the PS brings some nice tannins and body. The strange thing was that it felt like it hit the tongue a bit carbonated. Weird.
Another Woot Cellars offering. I say another as if I had previously posted about the last offering from Woot Cellars, Emergency Holiday Provisions. Which I didn't. But I do still have a bottle or two lying around somewhere so expect to see notes on that some time this season.
Boss Monster is a zinfandel-PS blend (89-11). I was a little put off by the nose at first since it came on so strong, but the first sip was remarkably smooth. Pretty bold but not obnoxiously in your face, not too spicy (though it goes well with spice as I was eating a bowl of chili at the time), and lightly jammy. Just a little bit of tannin peeking through at the end. With some mouth aeration, all I get is grape. A lot of grape. A little bit of rose and honey. Would probably taste great with a thick, rare steak or in some beef stew.
I expected to write funnier notes. I should write funnier notes.
ADDENDUM: After several days, the PS really starts to pop out.
Riatta is a blend of sangiovese (50%), zinfandel (25%), and cabernet sauvignon (25%). The first glass was way in your face with the fruit in the sangiovese and zinfandel blowing out everything else. The sangiovese was bit tart for my taste, small tannins. A little sucking aeration in the mouth really brings out the fruit which is apparently what this winery is going for (or were, since this was the last batch before switching management).
A day opened let it mellow and finally let the cab show through more prominently. Still soft tannins. The sangiovese takes a back seat to the zin, so still in your face but without all the yelling.
My first taste of it was spicy and tart. Not as big as other zins, it was actually rather small and sharp on the tongue, with a lot more tannins than I would have expected.
You know, I never describe wine through metaphors and similes. I guess that's bad.
Let's see if I can remember this one properly.
Characteristically big in the mouth. Silky but rather thin, weak tannins. I can't tell if it's because this wasn't that great or if I'm just a huge fan of zinfandel.
Also, I'm working on paying more attention to the quality of my pictures. ISO, EV, white balance, lighting. Sigh. Sometimes, I don't have the patience to get a good shot. Or compose and set up because lighting is usually a big issue for me. I just want to eat sometimes.
