Look – the Wine Witch admits she is a peasant at heart. When cruising the shelves at the wine shop, I am always drawn to the bottles with the clever names or cute labels. Against all reason, this strategy has worked pretty well for me for value priced wines.
Obviously it is the name that got me in the case of XYZin Zinfandel. There is an additional wine insider joke on the label – “10 year vines”. Most vintners tout that their Zin comes from “old vines” which supposedly make the best Zin. Indeed some of them are 100 years old. These vines may be young but they do make some decent wine.
The XYZin is definitely on the ruby end of the spectrum with a plummy nose. The flavors are very bright – mostly of wild berries with a bit of cocoa. Zinfandels are known for their peppery edge and this one has quite a black pepper kick. This is a matter of personal preference but I prefer a little less pepper. It is what kept me from giving it a higher rating. However, if you like a more in face face style of Zin, this one is for you.
All that pepper makes would make the XYZin pair well with beef. A word of caution – Zinfandels tend to have higher alcohol contents. This one is no exception at 14.2% – so drink responsibly.
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This sounds like a very fun and delicious wine!