2012 Eminent Archon Zinfandel

Happy Saturday!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of our latest wine club selection, the 2012 Eminent Archon Zinfandel.  Now this Zin came from one of my favorite areas for the varietal, Lodi, California, so let's see if it lives up to its appellation!

The wine is a nice garnet color in the class with nice clarity.  The nose presents an intriguing combination of floral aromas along with ripe berry fruit, blackberry, black plum and cherry intermingled with lilac and hibiscus.  The taste is somewhat flat, with a bit of fruit up front that quickly gives way to a wave of pepper spice and smoke midpalate.  The finish is subdued, as the fruit just seems to fade away into the sunset.

Overall, I would rate this wine a 7.5, it's nothing spectacular but a decent zinfandel, particularly given the price, as I bought this one from Wines Till Sold Out for just $10.  Zins are usually my go to wines for things like barbecue as the smoke seems to complement it well, but tonight I am enjoying this wine on taco night!  Yes, plain old beef tacos with a bit of pineapple habanero salsa, veggies and sour cream, yum!

2012 Dark Horse Wine Big Red Blend 01A

Well, it's time to relax and have a glass of wine as I make dinner.  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2012 Dark Horse Wine Big Red Blend, an interesting one that I recently picked up at Trader Joe's.  This wine is from a maker in California, but it's a blend of Malbec, Syrah, Tempranillo and Merlot sourced from California, Australia and Argentina.  Let's just hope the whole is greater than the sum of its parts!

The wine is a deep, inky purple in the glass, reminiscent of a nice bold Cabernet.  The nose is anything but, with aromas of red ripe fruit, raspberry, blackberry and currant overlaid with hints of mint and floral notes.  The taste was pleasant, with fruit flavors that were much milder than I was expecting based on the nose.  The fruit gives way to some warm spice notes midpalate, but the finish was unremarkable.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 6.5, it's a nice everyday table wine at a decent price of only $8.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a classic midweek dinner of leftovers!  I'm having some grilled wine and cheese brats with some potato salad and coleslaw, a nice easy drinking wine to pair with classic fair food.  Cheers!