Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Under-$10 Red: Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel 2012


As promised (hey look, I do occasionally follow up...), here's a taste of an under-$10 red. 





Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel 2012
$9

First, you should know that I'm looking for a bold red with lots of mouthfeel. This one had been recommended to me first by a reviewer and then by the dude behind the counter in the liquor store, and both claimed this was a wine with nice, grippy tannins. At first, I didn't love this wine (a disappointing way to start the search). There were lots of dark berry notes, and a hint of spice; it certainly wasn't bad, but it also wasn't as deep as I'd hoped, so the wine sat open-but-corked for a few days.

Last night, I was feeling wine. Ideally, I would have liked to try another bottle, but we're doing lots of saving until we close on the house. Luckily, I was forced to revisit the so-far disappointing Ravenwood Zin.

I'm sure you've guessed this by now, but it got better. The tannins were more apparent (with small sips, anyway). The intense berry flavor seemed to have mellowed out (or maybe it was exaggerated in my memory...), and there was a pleasant blackberry note that lingered long after the sip. There was also quite a bit more spice in the finish. This won't be my favorite wine, but it'll be a trusted go-to, for sure.

First day, 5/10.
Fourth day, 7/10.

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