So I thought this wine was a different wine. Not a totally different wine, but this wine’s older brother. The 2009 Ghost Pines Dry Red Blend, which a slightly different heritage.
This 2010 is the regular red blend, and has Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The older brother wine has 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Petite Sirah, 22% Zinfandel, 10% Merlot, 6% Syrah. The 2010 doesn’t specify percentages, though I’m assuming it’s something similar.
First whiff gives me that creamy yogurty smell again that we had with the Apothic Red that I had shortly after arriving in LA (didn’t blog about it, sorry. Things were too busy and I just needed wine ASAP). After it aerates a little, I get a tarter, spicier smell (thanks, Uncle Zin). I’m picking up lots of dark berries, like blackberries and raspberries that give it the tarty tinge.
I also get a little note of spice, maybe some cinnamon and pepper? With a hint of vanilla.
On the tongue it’s a very light pepper, more on the back end than anything else. It’s still very smooth and almost creamy. I get more fruit than the bitter alcoholy smell, and it brings out whatever you’ve just eaten (lucky me, I just had lobster mac-n-cheese from the Formosa Cafe in Hollywood, with truffle fries, mmmmmm!) And there’s not any tannins that I can pick up, which contributes to the smoothness.
Brian thinks this would go well with the mac-n-cheese because of the creaminess, but I think this would go great with a great big bloody steak, with horseradish on the side, and some Montreal steak seasoning on top. Yeah, that sound good. And I just ate.
This would also make a great dessert sipping wine. Because of its heaviness and smoothness, I wouldn’t say it’s a great summer wine. It’s not crisp enough for a hot summer day, but it’s a great after-dinner, in the dark sipping wine.
I do recommend this though, especially if you’re trying to get into red wines. This is a great one to start with, as it will be a smooth transition from whites, or other alcohols. You can pick it up for under $20 (though usually pretty close to that) at most stores, but if you’re in SoCal, I recommend buying ALL your wine (unless they don’t have it) at Total Wines in Redondo Beach. They have the best prices I’ve seen anywhere.
