Blends make me nervous. I envision the more romantic ones crafting a mysterious melange of grape, myrrh and the sacrificial blood of volcano virgins, while the lesser ones hobble together some apple juice, craft glue and paper clips. So I’m typically not a fan of blends, and I know I am joined by many wine snobs in my hesitation.
But sweet mother of all that’s holy, Apothic Red is a fine blend. I very fine blend. Clearly a lot of volcano virgins went to the presses for this one, and their sacrifice was worth it.
Perfect tannins, balanced sugar, and a bold palate that stands up to a hearty steak, a spicy lasagna, or even a crazy street taco made by a guy with tattoos of leprechauns sexing it up with weasels. I literally had a glass of this with dinner, went on to dessert and coffee, and then came back for another glass… and it still held up, even after my palate was raked over by the espresso. The Apothic site boasts that it has hints of black cherry and mocha, which I get, but I miss the vanilla they claim. I’ll have to drink another case just to make sure.
Better yet, Apothic Red is drinkable by itself. I mean infinitely drinkable, as in Apothic could make a significant legal case before the US Congress to have laws repealed so that its wine could be marketed with a disclaimer “consumption of this alcoholic beverage will permanently impair your ability to enjoy any lesser wine, so you can quit searching after this one.” Apothic curiously fails to sell its Red by the tanker, however, and by this I mean I want them to roll up a re-purposed oil truck filled with the stuff, hand me a straw and leave me alone for a month. It’s that good.
Ever have a restaurant which has a great menu, but you have one favorite dish and can never seem to order anything else, no matter how many times you go there? Apothic Red is like that for me, and this means I may never get around to trying their White. As for the Red, I’m stuck on the 2013, and admit to not having tried any other year, but I daresay Apothic Red will be a better wine in a few years, which gives me chills since I can’t imagine what that would do to my sexual reproductive organs. I will have to put my urologist on call for that day.
Apothic is based out of Modesto CA and features winemaker Debbie Juergenson. You can buy their wines online here.
