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
