This well-priced single-vineyard Zinfandel just begs for local lamb chops and good company. Chocolate covered cherries and spices waft up from the glass. Big on the palate, this leads with black and red fruit, blackberries and raspberries, with a background of dark chocolate. Still tight half an hour after opening,
Blackberry, plum, and graphite roil up on the nose. Tart, barely ripe plum and fresh blackberry lead on the palate. Graphite, cranberry, and tar join on the mid-palate. Tannins are angular, the fruit flavors a little disjointed. Drink with a steak sandwich. Recommended. 86 points. DBH WHO: Bridlewood Estate Winery
Black cherry and smoke come out on the nose. On the palate, sweet black cherry and blueberry are joined by vanilla pastry. A bit of tartness comes out on the mid-palate and rolls into the finish. Simple, inexpensive, and straightforward, without the manipulation often found at this price point. Drink
Really terrific blackberry and blueberry flavors waft up on the nose. Rich blackberry and boysenberry are joined by just enough tart raspberry to give a backbone. Hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper roll through the mid-palate. This a delightful and complex wine, fruit forward and spice back. Pair it
Black and blue fruit, plus vanilla and hints of spice, show on the nose. Great big fruit, blackberries, mulberries, and blueberries, lots of blueberries, explode on the palate. On the mid-palate, the oak gets involved and that fruit gets wrapped in vanilla pastry. Blueberry pie lingers on the palate. This
“It’s… outsized. We get big tannins, big fruit, big acid, and big extraction.” That’s how Calcareous Vineyards winemaker Jason Joyce describes the types of wines that the Paso Robles region is naturally calibrated to produce. Even by New World wine standards, Paso Robles has climate conditions that some might consider
As soon as it’s poured into a glass, warm red fruits and a hint of chocolate greet the nose. With a hefty mouthfeel, some of the fruit and cocoa continue on the palate along with coffee and cedar. Big fine tannins appear in the finish, with bit of the fruit peeking through. A good