Happy Saturday! I apologize for the lack of posting last week as I had to be in Charlotte for work, so I had no time for blogging (though I did have time for a few instagram posts). So I'm back at it today, and just in time for summer to arrive. After the arctic blast that had our lows at freezing or below over the past few weeks, this week we reached the upper 80s and I have been sweating nonstop for the past two days! But at least with the heat it seems that it's finally time to barbecue, and what's better with barbecue than Zinfandel? Tonight I've opened a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from Forgeron Cellars, the 2018 Forgeron Zinfandel, which is a pure varietal from the Alter Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA of Washington. Let's see if this one is rib ready!
The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass, just as you might expect from a nice Zinfandel. A swirl of the glass and you slowly inhale to reveal aromas of boysenberry, raspberry and leather with undertones of dark chocolate. Raise the glass and take a sip to have a rush of candied plum and cherries wash over your palate before easing into some earthy mineral notes and a touch of graphite at the finish. The tannins are well structured providing for an added textural component to the long, smooth dry finish that will have you quickly reaching for another sip.
Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's one of the nicest Zinfandels I've had in quite some time. This wine would pair exceptionally well with barbecue, from ribs and chicken to pulled pork and brisket, this one would do well. Tonight I am taking a bit of a detour from our traditional rich midwest barbecue and enjoying this wine with some smoked baby back ribs finished with some South Carolina mustard barbecue sauce, along with some coleslaw and baked beans. Memorial Day is next weekend, but I couldn't resist starting a week early!
No comments:
Post a Comment