Not sure about you, but it was hard to figure out whether today was Monday or Tuesday but just knowing that Friday is only now three days away helps make sense of it all.  Personally, we think all holidays should be recognized on Friday’s to ensure a long weekend.  Sorry, we digress – so almost five years ago, we made a trip out to Paso Robles, California to sample some of the best wines in the Central Coast.

Our first stop coming into Paso was at a tasting room for a winery called, Four Vines.  We’d already stopped at Whole Foods and picked up some cheese, fruit, bread, hummus, and meat, so food wouldn’t be an issue.  What happened next is the stuff blog legends are written about.  With wines like “Biker”, “Loco”, “Maverick” and “Naked Chardonnay”, we stumbled upon some of the best tasting, most creative wines of our trip.  Hidden among them was a terrific, delicious Zinfandel . . . otherwise known as Old Vine Cuvee’.  It’s a combination of zinfandel grapes blended together and made into a delicious everyday wine that, to this day, is one of our favorite “easy on the pocketbook” wines.  The wine we sampled today is available for less than $10 a bottle, and before you turn your nose up at price point too low for you, read on.  This is no ordinary value-priced wine.  It’s got a lot of gumption with food (we had grilled salmon on an alder plank with grilled vegetables) and for dessert a nice assortment of chocolates, the best of which was dark chocolate Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – needless to say a household favorite.

Upon opening this 2009 Old Vine Cuvee’ there is a real aroma of toasted oak, green pepper and earthiness . . . in fact, we initially got a dark roasted coffee aroma combined with a toffee scent, but as the wine opened up, the oak – – oh, that beautiful oak –  –  came rushing forward.  Now, this wine didn’t have the blast of fruit that other wines we’ve enjoyed so far had, but in true Zinfandel fashion, there was a peppery finish with a taste that went on and on and on.  Really?  A wine under $10 with this kind of structure?  Yes, and each sip brought us back to the patio outside the tasting room in Paso Robles.  It’s a place we hope to return to later this year, but for now our deck will just have to do.

The winery was sold in 2010, so the name is the same but the wines have changed.  But, if you are in the mood for a great ‘deck’ wine that you can enjoy after a hard day’s work or on a weekend afternoon, this one is worth your investment.  If you care to add food, this little wine won’t disappoint at all.  It’s one of our favorites and one that we will continue to enjoy – the price helps, but we would pay more if need be.

Cheers!

Remember to always enjoy responsibly and recycle when possible.