In my earliest days of getting into wine, I met Gina. She was my teacher and mentor, along with getting me my first (and only so far) gig in the wine retail trade. I don’t know if I’ve ever met a more knowledgeable person when it comes to wine and I’ve met some pretty smart folks. She is the bomb.

I remember the first time I tried some Four Vines. It was a tasting of all of their Zinfandels, which was a lot of fun because it really allows you to see different expressions of the same grape, yet understand the winemaker’s style. We even got to taste their Dusi vineyard Zin, which is rare because they only sold it at the winery. Gina is buds with the winemaker and always got a few cases to sell. It was really good stuff.

Christian Tietje and the team at Four Vines make a lot of different wines. Just look at the lineup on their website and you’ll see. I’d LOVE to taste the Louis Cypher, as it is one of the most intriguing blends I’ve ever seen. His wines are all pretty much full throttle, in your face, let’s have some fun while we drink in style. That means, old world fans or those looking for some elegance should run far, far away.

So, we had pizza the other night and I was craving Zinfandel to go with it. I was going to go with their Old Vine Cuvee, which is a staple wine well suited for mid-week drinking and generally a good drink with anything that has tomato sauce on it. Instead, I went with the Maverick, part of their appellation series. They also make two other wines in this level, the Biker from Paso Robles and Sophisticate from Sonoma County. I don’t see them as often, so if you do, let me know where and how much.

Price: $23.99 at Bullock’s in Woodstock.

So, we opened this up and the aromas of ripe blackberry and raspberry assault the nose like the Elven summoned “water” horses trampling the Nazgûl in Lord of the Rings. There is no timidity to this wine and if you are a fruit-bomb hater, you can stop reading now. Personally, I loved it. There was also some cinnamon, clove and faint hints of cocoa powder. It smelled like dessert. I like dessert.

The flavors were ripe and robust, with an abundance of spiced blackberry jam that had some fresh vanilla bean mixed in. Obviously, a good bit of oak is applied to this wine and this could be a detractor for some, a bonus to others. It is all about what you love, not what I or Spectator or Parker or anyone else loves. That is why I always urge people to attend tastings, conduct their own with friends and if you are reading the shelf-talkers, pay close attention to the notes and less attention to the score. [Stepping down from soapbox]. The wine was smooth, silky and too easy to drink. The fruit more than buried the 14.9% ABV, with no signs of heat as one is oft to notice in wines of this degree.

Overall, I found this wine on the border line between above average and outstanding. My only “complaint” would be I felt the wine was a bit lacking in acid or tannin to really provide grip or ageability, something previous vintages have provided. Outside of that, I dug it. When I drink Zin, this is the sort of wine I like. Granted, I’m a fan of the winery. I actually have a bottle of theirs that Gina got 3 cases of out of the 98 produced, along with a couple of others sitting quietly in storage. I always think that if those bottles came alive, they’d really piss off all the others with their antics. Strange, I know. So, I’m going to say it is an above average wine, with a definite drink now rather than later structure. Drink up Johnny!

Haiku
Get ready here it comes
Spicy berry vanilla
Fasten your seatbelt!

If you like what I’m doing, please leave comments, share with other people you know who are into wine and even those who aren’t. Maybe you and I can convert them. Love to hear from folks and it humbles me that you read what I have to write. Have a great day!