As the story goes, in 2006 a veteran winemaker worked alongside his protégé Boyd Morrison to explore old world winemaking traditions and in so doing realized a wine with a new world style. Morrison used that inspiration to create Apothic Red. The wine is a blend of zinfandel, Syrah and Merlot.
This is a dark colored wine with aromas that also smell… well… dark—like chocolate, black pepper and salami. Underneath those earthy aromas there are some sweet cola and berry aromas too. It has a full mouth feel that’s bursting with ripe cherry and cola flavors. It takes on a vanilla characteristic on the finish, and that sticks with you for some time. This is not your run-of-the-mill, average cheap wine. It’s different. It’s interesting. But be warned, it is a little bit on the sweet side for a red. It’s not a sweet wine, just sweeter (if that makes sense). Still, if you like to explore different wines, this one is worth a shot.
Wine: Apothic Red Winemaker’s Blend
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.1%
Rating: 85
Price: $14.00
Find Apothic Red Winemaker’s Blend with Snooth
Here’s what others thought of the this wine:
Update: Check out our review of the 2009 Apothic Red.
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Apothic Red. I had the 2007 earlier this year and it’s somewhat similar. Here’s my tasting notes: http://enjoyfinewines.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/apothic-red-winemakers-blend/