Eat Free or Die! » Blog Archive » Beaulieu Vineyards 2004 Napa Valley Zinfandel

Beaulieu Vineyards 2004 Napa Valley Zinfandel

Friday, October 10th, 2008

Beaulieu Vineyards Napa Valley Zinfandel, taken by Rob Novak I’ve always had a soft spot for Zinfandel. It’s a vividly dark purple grape that unfortunately sees most of its utility in pedestrian, sweet “white” Zins of miscellaneous and anonymous vintage. White zin made from this dark grape, but the juice is not fermented with the skins. It is the quintessential non-wine-drinker’s wine, the base for summer spritzers and the refuge of someone who’d rather be drinking an alcopop. When treated well, however, the Zinfandel grape produces big, burly, fruit-driven wines with flavors of black fruit, spice, and licorice. Zinfandel is genetically identical to the varietal that Italians call Primitivo.

BV Napa Valley Zinfandel is an affordable wine: $13-14 most days. Beaulieu wines are generally solid, but not necessarily outstanding in their field. Zins are usually pretty big with lots of tannin structure, so before tasting this I poured it into a decanter, to sit for a little under two hours prior to sampling.

Details:

Name: Beaulieu Vineyards 2004 Zinfandel, Napa Valley
Type: Red
Country: California
Region: Napa
Grapes: 100% Zinfandel
Price: $14

My score: 89 points (out of 100) - full bodied, pretty well balanced and delicious, with decent complexity. Nice nose. A little fruit-bomby, especially on the attack. Relatively long finish.

Notes:

Color: Deep plum

Nose: Lots and lots of blackberry, with creamy vanilla from oak aging. In fact, it smells a lot like baked blackberry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over the top. A little woody/cedary component, and a little black licorice as the fruit component subsides.

First Taste: Blackberries! Blackberries! Blackberries! Did I mention blackberries? Bing cherry, too, followed by cassis and vanilla on the mid-palate. Finishes on the back end with dark cocoa and cedar. Mouth-filling.

Second Taste: This is a hearty wine, with pretty good structure and balance. It’s very fruit-forward, but the black fruit and 14.5% alcohol is contained nicely. The tannins and acid help offset the fruit, so it’s adequately balanced, but not perfectly so. Flavors are abundant and powerful, with a long finish lingering with dark cherry and cocoa notes.

Impressions: Not a bad Big Red Wine for $14. A bit more balance between the fruit and tannins, and this is a 90-point wine. Would pair well with cured meats (salamis - yum), mutton, game (venison, boar), or grilled beef.

Bookmark this:

Close Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks