Two wines were opened tonight, only one I enjoyed. The first was the Ravenswood 2004 Sonoma County Old Vines Zinfandel ... this was a funny little wine because it was all spicy and peppery at first, but there was no fruit. I was talking to a buddy on the phone and I said, "I think this wine might be corked", but I wasn't 100% sure. So throughout the next 30 minutes I sipped on this wine every time I passed the glass. Cork taint does not get better with time, it gets worse - and more apparent, and by the 30 minute mark I was sure this was corked. Too bad, I was really looking forward to a Zin and Ravenswood makes some of the best.
I then yanked out this Chilcas 2003 blend of 80% Cabernet and 20% Syrah, part of the "Ranch Vineyards" series. I would have to say the first sip was extremely disappointing, might have been some residual effect from the Zin, tight and unappealing. Then I used my Vinturi on it (single glass decanter) and this wine opened up beautifully. The nose had interesting smells that combined dried black fruits, cocoa and mocha, along with some anise and spice. The palate was also pretty interesting black fruit, herbaceous notes with a black licorice liqueur-type finish that was in no way thick like those liqueur can be. Very tasty and enjoyable. Not what I was originally looking for but certainly what the doctor ordered, so to speak.
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