Bennett Family Vineyards
The Big Red Monster
Syrah, Zinfandel?
Napa Valley
Rutherford, California
NV
14.6%
$12.00 -- Vino 100, Lakeway, TX
Color: Deep red with purple tinge
Nose: Plums, a little heat
Body: Full
Front: Cassis
Middle: Vanilla Cherry Cola
Back: Coffee, forest floor
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Fake cork
Who doesn't like a melodramatic wine? Or at least, a melodramatic label? This wine's a peck more austere than it makes itself out to be--but then, it turns out that melodrama is more complex than we used to think, too. This wine's damn fine for the money. Just back from a long trip, with pizza on the table, it was the perfect move.
This is a negociant wine, made with surplus or outcast grapes from different places. I can't quite tell what's in it other than Syrah (spicy as all get out, but intense) and Zinfandel (cherry-raspberry stuff but nothing tannic). The effect is nice; it's a bit like a second-rank Paraduxx. That's praise, 'cause Paraduxx is usually fantastique!
