![]() We sourced the Zinfandel from Lodi, a premium producer of intensely concentrated, silky textured fruit. We selected the majority of the grapes for Apothic Red from the Lodi and Central Valley areas in California. Soft and plush on the palate, the long finish brings vanilla and mocha characteristics, a reflection of the selective oak aging used to enhance and support the wine’s elegant appeal. Syrah and Merlot add intriguing notes of ripe blueberry and boysenberry, while a mix of other red varieties add dimension and depth with hints of spice. The 2021 Apothic Red is a rich Zinfandel-led Red blend with red silky, smooth layers of black cherry, boysenberry and black pepper. A portion of the Chardonnay and Viognier were fermented in stainless-steel tanks. The Chardonnay underwent partial malolactic fermentation and was fermented on selected oak with sur lie aging, enhancing the wine’s delicate fruit flavors while adding subtle caramel, cream and spice characteristics. The fruit was whole-cluster pressed, then the juice settled and was racked to tank to optimize clarity and mouthfeel. We harvested a majority of the grapes for our Apothic Chardonnay at night in cool temperatures to preserve the character of the fruit. Wines showcase vibrant acidity and concentrated flavors. California’s 2021 growing season was cool and mild, with a heat spell in August that resulted in an earlier than average harvest. With its cool evenings and warm days, Lodi is known as a producer of fragrant, concentrated and silky textured fruit. We selected the majority of the grapes for Apothic Chardonnay from the unique Lodi Delta region in California. This luscious wine offers a silky-smooth texture and a bright, lively finish. Viognier in the blend adds intriguing aromatic floral and tropical fruit characteristics. Note: These wines were purchased from the Ralph’s Grocery Store in Agoura Hills, California with a 30% mixed six bottle discount.Our appealing Apothic Chardonnay opens with generous notes of crisp red and green apple, layered with hints of honey, caramel and vanilla. It was an interesting tasting because even though these wines are marketed as “sweet reds” they are not as sweet as the inexpensive box wines, but should clearly appeal to those used to drinking sweet beverages such as Coke or sweet-tea. In the end we all ranked them in the same order: ![]() All the wines were smooth blends, had soft tannins, light-to-medium body, 13.5% alcohol and no complexity. They all finished sweet, but the Cupcake Red Velvet had a slight tartness at the very end. All three had a sweet fruit taste, with the Apothic Red having a heaviness to its sweetness. The other two wines had a slightly fruity bouquet with the Apothic having hints of red licorice. The Cupcake Red Velvet had a smokey bouquet that carried through the taste and the long finish. We all tasted the wines, discussed them and amazingly came to the same conclusion about each one…something that rarely happens when tasting wine!!! We could discern no significance difference in color or clarity but the difference in aroma was immediately obvious to everyone. The bottles were covered and opened and all the tasters had three glasses in front of them. That’s the background, now here’s how we tasted them. These three brands are said to account for half of the sweet red wine sold in the United States. We picked the three best sellers for our tasting: Apothic Red 2013 ($7.99), Ménage à Tros California Red 2013 ($6.99) and Cupcake Red Velvet 2012 ($7.99). Thus, we had simply never tasted any of these wines that were being marketed as “sweet reds” so the tasting was especially intriguing. We are not overly fond of sweet wines and tend to avoid them. The idea that sweet red wines are quickly rising in popularity in the United Sates is somewhat disturbing and made tasting some notable examples an adventure. market? he describes the enormous growth in sweet red wine sales. In a recent post by the Wine Curmudgen titled Has sweet red wine taken over the U.S. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |