Rosenblum Zinfandel Aparicio 2004

Rosenblum Zinfandel Aparicio Vineyard 2004

I mentioned this wine in passing, and have now had the chance to open a bottle on my own. In the last nine months or so, it seems to have lightened. Upon opening, it has an overwhelmingly alcoholic nose, which dominates the palate as well. There has to be some level of residual sugar; it actually comes across as a little sweet. It was probably served too warm and needed time to open.

So the cork went back into the bottle, and I tried again the next night, this time cooling it more before tasting. The alcohol is less noticeable, perhaps because of the time open or the cooler temperature. The nose shows a distinctly port-like heavy, raisiny sweetness, which may be misleading as the wine is surprisingly light in color, body, and fruit. The some of the sugarry sweetness has softened, allowing a faint deeper texture through. Some tannin and earthiness, but not enough to be a driving force in the wine.