Host: Kim
Served: Ann's Chicken Mole
Kim says (11.5): the term Old Vine can mean different things in different countries. In France, Germany, Spain... "old vine" has significant meaning. But the United States is a young country so what it means to me is... the winemaker was willing to take a risk by keeping some of the older vines, which produce less fruit and with a nod to history, pedigree and possibly a dash of nostalgia, risk sacrificing profit for sentiment. And while I absolutely support the motive, in this instance I don't think it paid off. Brown sugar on the nose, meh on the palate, and then a rather offensive finish (very tart and acidic). I liked this for the first three seconds.
Andrea says (14): I really liked this wine in spite of my score, I just didn't think that it had many qualities of a Zinfandel, hence the score. It was a dark cranberry color and was somewhat opaque. Smelled like strawberry, current, brown sugar, fig, and cherry. It had a tart aroma with an alcohol burn to it. I really liked the taste. Tart but nice, high acid, good tannins, really coated the palette. I would definitely drink this again.
Christine says (13.5): Garnet color. Floral (roses?), cherry, raspberry aromas. Medium body, surprising amount of acid right up front, brown sugar taste, spices, not much fruit. Going back, vegetal aroma. And fig, like the label said. Tasted just OK--too acidic with the mole.
Kim says (14.5): Must have been having a bad glass day... a flawed score from me but very high score from Andrea; and perfect score from Christine! At any rate, I thought this wine was extremely dark in appearance and had a musty odor. Smelled very strongly of dust... maybe my glass? Switched glasses and the dust smell was no longer an issue, smelled of berries. But still penalized for body (thin), tannins (high), acid (high), sugar (low), finish (acidic) and balance. Must have been off my tasting game...could have been a ♥ love love love!
Andrea says (18): I definitely liked this wine. A dark burgundy color, also a little opaque with a brownish tint. The smell was sharp - alcohol, vinegar, pepper, black licorice. The smell was fruitier after I swirled it - some blackberry, vanilla and earth. Great taste, good body, nice tannins, slightly tart but not overwhelming.
Christine says (20): Very deep, intense blue-violet. Yummy smell! Eucalyptus, blackberries, mushrooms, sous bois, very slight clove and raspberry. Mmm! Lush on the palate, nice fruit, great balance. I loved it. Very good with the mole.
Christine says: Kymm made her sister Ann's incredible Chicken Mole! Fabulous.
