Cloying–almost Zin-ish–fruit early in the nose, a heavy fleshiness headed pruny. Plodding and clunky, this wine feels unnecessarily heavy and feeling dull and uninspiring throughout: burnt nuances clouding the thick berry and any charming brightness wrung out of it. You can tell yourself it’s just Tannat being Tannat, you can remind yourself it’s low alcohol or rationalize varietal inconsistencies. You can even insist it’s an iconic winemaker, but at the end of the day it is awkward and unbalanced: chubby for reasons it itself can’t explain. Feeling quite tired at 7 and difficult to find positives in: start-to-finish.
2014 KENNETH VOLK Tannat Bella Colina Vyd Paso Robles 13.8
Stephen McConnell 