Copyright 1998 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved. Always eager to evaluate trends if not to keep up with them, I thought I'd start a new year of wine by opening a bottle to see if I could discern what makes it such a hot item. Dark garnet in color, with an appetizing aroma of oaky vanillins and sweet black fruit, invites a taste.
Flavors follow the nose, juicy fruit and sweet oak.
A juicy squirt of cherry-berry fruit and aromatic vanilla at first, softens and fades somewhat as it crosses the palate. No tannins, no excess of acidity, little in the way of a lingering aftertaste. A mellow wine, accessible, even gulpable, it's easy to see why this appeals to folks who are just developing a taste for dry table wines. But there's enough structure and flavor interest here to engage the attention of more serious wine lovers, too, even if it falls a bit short of the top rank. E-mail me your tasting notes , and I'll consider adding them to this page.