Box Wines
A wine blog with news and reviews of affordable wines

Price: $8
Maker: Blackstone Winery, Woodridge, California
Varietal: Zinfandel
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Blackstone Zinfandel 2005 is a pleasant Zin after it has had plenty of time to breathe. Its nose has spice, smoke, and leather notes. It’s a medium-bodied wine, leading with juicy currant and plum notes into a powerful, spicy finish. Do not forget to give this wine plenty of air - our first sips were quite discouraging, but it turned into a very likable wine.

Though labeled as a Zinfandel, there are quite a few different grapes making cameo appearances in this wine - it is composed of:

76 % Zinfandel
8 % Syrah
6 % Merlot
4 % Petite Sirah
2 % Cabernet Franc
2 % Malbec
2 % Barbera

According to the Blackstone Winery website,

Our Winemaker Select wines are fruit-forward, easy to drink, and food-friendly - perfect for everyday celebrations. The cornerstone of this portfolio is Blackstone’s California Merlot, the number-one-selling domestic red wine in the United States at any price.

Can that really be true? I haven’t seen a strong retal presence in my area, and it’s hard to believe that it outsells Two Buck Chuck. This IS a nicer red than Charles Shaw wines, though, and I wouldn’t hesitate to serve it for company.

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