Tasting - Apothic Red Blend

Name: Apothic Red Winemaker's Blend

Variety: Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blend

Region: Sanoma County, CA

Country: United States

Vintage: 2016

Price: $10

Winery Review: Apothic Red is a masterful blend of intense flavors and luscious texture creates a truly unique experience. Zinfandel lends notes of dark fruit and subtle spice while Merlot and Syrah bring hints of black fruit and smooth mouthfeel. They are complimented by Cabernet Saugivnon that contributes a firm structure and bold flavors. All of the varietals combine to offer layers of dark fruit that are enhanced by soft vanilla and mocha tones leading to a soft, lasting finish. 

My Review: To continue the trend of blends (ha, that rhymes!), I chose Apothic's Winemaker's Red blend. What drew me to this wine is that I have seen Apothic in almost every liquor store I've ever been to and it seems they have quite a variety of choices and they are all around $10 each. Seems like my kind of wine! So I finally gave in and bought some to try for this class. 

When I first sniffed and swirled, I immediately smelled dark cherries with a smoky clove finish. From the smell, I thought it would be bitter and tannic and delicious.  Boy was I wrong!

Upon first taste without food, it was almost overpoweringly citrusy. Like a tangerine on steroids. It was quickly followed by a gasoline after taste. 

Having faith that good food can make almost anything taste better, I decided to give it another try. For dinner I had a rib eye steak pan seared to medium rare with lots of French butter and topped with blue cheese. I was in fat-kid heaven! I also had a side of broccoli that was pretty nondescript. The tartness of the blue cheese took out all of the bite in the wine and made it sickeningly sweet. It was like candied strawberries. BLAH!!!! After one sip, I decided to grab some good old box pinot noir to finish out the meal. 

As you can see from my picture, almost half the bottle was left after dinner. I let it sit on the counter for a day or so, debating if I wanted to pour it out. (I don't like to waste even bad wine) But decided it was not worth the assault on my tongue again and got rid of it. I was disappointed to say the least. The only good thing that came out of this experience is that I have a cool wine label to add to my collection.