Friday, April 9, 2010

Nepenthe 2004 Tryst (Australia)

You don't often see Zinfandel from Australia, which is why I bought a half dozen bottles of this wine some years back - tonight I discovered that I still had a bottle (or maybe two) left.  In its prime this was quite the fruit beast with lots of pepper and spic notes; the 'Tryst' on the label refers to the three grape varieties that go into the wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Zinfandel - and each brought something to the table ... now there is something else going on here.  I cracked the cap and the wine made a "pop" sound - who says you lose the elegance of the cork sound with screw cap wines?  The inside of the cap looked like a paint can lid with lots of sediment on it.  The nose gave indication of spice with hints of dried black fruit and slightly woody nuances.  Aeration (decanting) helped the nose of the wine opening up the aromas and the familiar smell of Zinfandel hung out in the background. ... unfortunately that did not translate to the palate as the wood and spicy were the most dominant.  Not a bad wine but not the fun fruit monster I remember.

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