Issue XXXII: 19 Crimes Edition

19 Crimes [Blend]

The mantra of wine experimentalists I will say now for us all to hear and if this not your motto, if you are a wine experimentalist, it should become it and that motto is this: I shall fear not to ever buy wine based upon the visual nature of the bottle.

Take this case in point, this stunning little gem of a wine, packaged in the most extraordinary packaging. In fact, I think this is the best bottle for any wine I’ve yet seen, heavy, coated in black and covered with a picture one surmises must have been a criminal relating to Australia somehow. Based on the idea of being sent off for violating a set of laws resulting in one of 19 listed crimes (full list is on the winery’s website, which is definitely quite worth your while), the packaging comes quite inspired…in a sort of cheeky way. Once I saw the bottle, I knew I had to get it.

This could result in a bottle of crap, of course, but here it does not. This is another that we loved right out of the gate. My wife adored the labeling of the bottle, because crimes, serial killers, etc. etc. evidently hold some of fascination…perhaps just deviant human behavior. I largely though it was cute and just hoped the wine lived up to that awesomely heavy and painted black bottle. It did…and then some.

This particular one blends Syrah, Pinot Noir, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon and it’s got an adoringly wonderful deep red blood color to it, the hue of which would be the envy of property managers on vampire film sets worldwide. It tastes as good as it looks, again mostly berries, but in a very complex and full manner, complete with several grace notes, all exquisitely balanced. This is a very lush wine and the mouth feel and smoothness are beauties to behold.

It’s around $14 a bottle, but this is right near the top of my favorite wines. As such, it is a Standard.

Issue XXXI: Borja Borsao Tinto Seleccion Edition

Borja Borsao Tinto Seleccion [Garnacha]

Grenache is one of those wines that I just can’t ever quite seem to latch onto, much like Beaujolais. I suspect this is because of the high astringency factor, which always seems jarring to me, particularly since I rarely eat food with the wine…or take wine with the food, however you like it. If wine and food are together around me, it is generally with the food cooked in wine.

This is one of those rare cases where I actually like a garnacha, even with the high astringency. This is a fairly rare case of a wine being excellent despite that aspect. Make no mistake; this one too has a very high astringency rate, but that factor makes it a very nice change of pace. It is extremely well-flavored and will smooth out over time, though that air time is pushing a solid hour or so. This particular one is a blend with 15% Temperanillo, itself also prone to astringency, though in this case, I believe it has added what little smoothness there is to be had here. You will catch a bit of bitterness here, a touch of berry, some perhaps less than ripe cherry, but the flavor is spectacular. This is definitely one of the better drys out there. I don’t find it particularly light or refreshing, but when I want to deviate from the soft and lush tones I usually have, this tends to be a solid pick.

As I recall, if not on SPA, this is around $13 or $14 and I definitely like those smoother and velvetier ones much more than a wine of this type, so it’s a bit lesser often I get this, irrespective of SPA, though it will show up there from time to time, so let’s go with Mixed on this one.