Definitely not holding up well. Retailers will recognize this one, I don’t know to what extent in the country it was offered at but several years ago here in southern California they came through with some ridiculous deals. I saw it available from various people who who picked it up from 9.99 to 19.99 and I heard stories of it being available wholesale in quantity at under $5.
As I recall it was a rather cellar-floor-mopping blend and it tasted pretty good at the time and obviously at those kind of prices you can’t kick it out of bed. I haven’t visited it for a while and I’m not even sure exactly how many I have probably only 3 or 4 more but it’s definitely not aging well. It is not oxidized or corked or even particularly tired, it’s just going a weird direction. I’m not sure what to attribute it to, but here let’s read the ingredients: Cabernet Zinfandel Syrah Merlot Petite Sirah Touriga Nacional Tempranillo and Charbono. WHEW! And all Napa Valley! BV back-lot experimental block? Or actually sourcing all this from contracts throughout the valley?
Bright crimson–no bricking–but the nose has a really awkward sweet-bitter vegetal. Grimy and awkwardly fruited, dirt and mud take the upper hand over a jalapeno-sorta fruit nuance. Not from alcohol, it just has a weird raw peppery curl to it in the nose.
In the mouth, shallow and sweetly uninteresting. No real nuance to challenge or compel, it runs flaccidly towards a bitter end with only here the slightest bit of oxidation showing in the fruit–only obvious because the fruit is a tad cloying. Wait. Wasn’t the second ingredient Zin? Yes it was. Well now. It’s all making sense. Yes, I’ve tasted this before. This is what happens when you mix cab & zin. It gets fuckin awkward, THAT’S WHAT. The cab goes one way and the zin another, and your mouth pays the price.
2010 BEAULIEU VINEYARDS Beaurouge Red Wine Napa Valley 14.5
Stephen McConnell 