Medium ruby, bricking heavily. Malt vinegar, cherry compote and vanilla splashed over a sliced vegetal wax pepper and raisin-stewwed salty kielbasa. Barbie hair and Barbiemobile–both possibly on fire–co-mingle past-prime polish and sadness stirred longingly into vase-water of 2-week lilies on the table.
Yes, I lost a bet, and reviewing this bottle was the punishment. I would have loved to have tasted this two or three years ago–it really isn’t THAT horrible of a wine. It ranks up there with some 2008 Napa or Sonoma supermarket cabs I have stashed around with sketchy provenance and consumed far past their ideal consumption-date. I’ve had FAR worse FAR younger wines from the second and third supermarket shelves which were FAR more popular and of FAR more popular visibility and viability. Nowhere near *undrinkable*, it just comes off as a cheap, fairly well-put-together Sonoma Italian wine a bit past its ideal. Who knows what it is. Sangiovese? Merlot?
In the mouth, ripe flat burnt-cherry plays round and still and rather dead against a musky, vaguely eucalyptus gunpowder tea and chewable-Bayer aspirin finish. Composed and rather lean, fruit gone South, a slight burn composes the still, calm, rather wine-like finish.
2010 HELLO KITTY California Red Wine Mission Wine Company Napa 13.5
Stephen McConnell 