Zombie Zin Zinfandel is made from 95% Zinfandel and 5% Syrah
Be careful if you go out at night. The Zombie Zin is designed to be consumed in hiding with the only friends you have left... post apocalypse.
The Zombie Zin is sporting a new label design with a torn look, that suggests a window into another world. The colors are more vibrant earth-tones and the capsule is a deep red.
The Zombie Zinfandel is very dark in color, almost a black-purple. The aromas are of ripe, dense black fruits and a hint of dried herbs. The flavors are complex and rich, sporting succulent blackberries, powdered cinnamon, cola and cherry jam. Just a hint of black pepper in the long finish.
The grapes for the Zombie are sourced throughout California, mostly from the dry, hot sandy soils of the Delta region and the Central Valley. The final blend benefitted from some inky Syrah grapes that came from the Central Coast. The wine was fermented in Stainless Steel and aged for about a half a year in American oak.
Pairs well with bloody BBQ meats, sinister soups with eye of newt, bubbly caldron of fleshy stew.
Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Altamira is made from 100 percent Malbec.
Deep red in color, the Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Altamira expresses great fruity character with notes of red fruit. Grand structure and acidity on the palate with mineral with notes of wet stone and graphite and a long finish.
Review:
Quiet complexity that needs time in the glass. While it is brooding and deep, there is also a perfumed, floral and herbal aspect that makes it so attractive and unforgettable, even at such an embryonic stage. Freshly crushed blueberries, dried licorice, decadent violets, crushed stones and ash on the nose. Satin-textured tannins on the palate, which are tense, chalky and seamless. Powerful and juicy with impeccable balance. A great, cerebral and intrinsic malbec from Argentina. You can drink now, if you want, but it is a wine that you’d want to keep for the next two decades. A real charmer, especially for the wine nerds. Buy this and try!
-James Suckling 99 Points
Bastgen Blauschiefer Riesling is 100 percent Riesling.
Bright, clean, fresh and zesty. Grapefruit like flavors. Fruity aromas and a nice minerality, typical of the Riesling grape grown on blue slate soil. Round, rich and a very long finish.
They meticulously tend 4.5 ha (11.11 acres) of which 80% is Riesling. The soil is made of slate. Their vineyards are located in Kesten and Brauneberg, on a steep terrace, and planted to 50-year old vines. Fortunately for Bastgen, they own part of the famous Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr. The vines produce very small, ripe berries that are very tasty.
Review:
"Very enticing nose of ripe pear with some white peach and floral aromas! All the elegance and delicacy we expect from high-quality Mosel riesling, but this light-bodied and dry beauty is only an entry-level wine! Long, refreshing and delicate finish. This will be a bargain in all the markets it reaches. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. Screw cap. "
- James Sucking (November 2023), 92 pts
Ferrata Ceneris Etna Bianco is made from 80% Carricante and 20% Catarratto.
Straw-yellow with greenish nuance. Hints of green apple,white peach and aromatic herbs. Pleasant flavor and freshness.
Ideal with shellfish, raw fish or preparations with more intense flavors, fresh and semi-aged cheeses.