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.