Zinfandel saldo (The Prisoner Wine Company)

Cellar for up to 9 years. No need to decant. The Prisoner Wine Company likes to do things differently. While so many are focused on specific vineyards as the source of good wines year after year, The PWC instead aim to simply find the best grapes they can find throughout Northern California. Saldo translates from Latin as "from here and there" which encapsulates this philosophy perfectly. Many of the vineyards that they source grapes from are the most historic, old-vine, dry-farmed vineyards in California. When poured in the glass, the wine demonstrates a classic Zinfandel dark ruby hue. After a swirl, you smell traces of clove intermingled with ripe dark fruit: plums, blackberry and huckleberry. The entry on the palate reveals the plump voluptuous character of the wine. The dark fruit notes continue forward and are intermingled with a juicy acidity and dark chocolate covered cherry note that also picks up on the subtle vanilla spice that signals the finish. The wine is oak aged in a combination of French and American oak, with new oak only making up 25% of the barrels. The dark chocolate notes would make it an incredible accompaniment to a dark molé sauce from Mexican cuisine, but the charred quality of grilled beef or lamb would also compliment the wine wonderfully.