I would suggest opening this bottle a half hour or so before you want to drink it, it needed to open up just a touch before I really got the full aroma and flavor from it.

On the nose the wine showed perfumed spices, lavender, rosemary, other spice, earth, dark cherries, and blackberries. The nose had a floral characteristic and lots of fruit came shining through. I thought the aroma was really complex and layered for a Zinfandel, in addition to being quite enticing; it made me want to jump right in. The mouth followed through on the nose, complex and layered, the flavors kept coming. I found black cherry, blackberries, chocolate, spice, earth, leather, rosemary, and yummy chocolate covered fruit. The mouth also had a similar floral characteristic to the nose.

I served the wine with pizza, and while it was fine with my homemade pizza, I must say, I truly enjoyed the glass I savored after dinner. This wine had so many flavors and layers that I really didn't want any food aromas interfering with my enjoyment of the wine! As I finished my 2nd glass, the wine continued to smooth out of the next hour or so, leading me to believe this wine could hang out in the cellar for a couple more years, though is drinking great if you give it a half hour now!

Read my full review in my blog post, Literally in the Saddle.

The prominent characteristic in the aromas was cedar. The first thought that came to mind when smelling this wine was it was just like a box of new pencils. Cedar, graphite, mixed with smoky black pepper and a little bit of what to me smelled like roasted peanut skins. The taste was similar, with lots of plum and berry fruit added. The sides of my tongue picked up the fruit and the middle of the tongue got cedar and papper. Very interesting wine! I took off 1/2 a star because the finish was rather short. Not your typical fat fruit bomb zin. It was quite good.

The aroma revealed something very sharp initially, with its hint of peat reminding us of a glass of scotch, a beverage I personally find rather piercing. Later, it took a graceful bow and began dancing under my nose with vanilla, tar, and a brand new leather jacket then waltzed into black pepper, cherry, plum, and finally a greenhouse of sage and other herbs. The palate was nearly as graceful as it stepped from vanilla to cracked pepper to fig and then to an amazing display of chocolate. We both enjoyed this wine thoroughly, especially with the super easy meal of oven roasted lamb and garlic-paprika potatoes.

I had saved a small amount to try the next day, but it slipped my mind until two mornings later. However, the wine was still drinkable, without even using the Vacu Vin or keeping it in the fridge, which leads me to believe this one can comfortably age for several years. The cocoa was even stronger than before, along with a whole shelf of baking spices.

Read my full review in my blog post, Saddle the Sky with this Zinfandel.