Poured into a decanter roughly an hour prior to service and presented double-blind. The 2016 “Big Break” presents a bright ruby with a deep but transparent core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and no obvious signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart, ripe and dried red fruits: cherries, Craisins, red flowers, leather, dried earth and light baking spice. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, though the fruit comes across a lot more ripe. The finish is medium+ and the alcohol is high. I called 2020 Cote du Rhône (Southern), Grenache heavy GSM blend. What a pleasant surprise! I used to drink the smack out of various Cline Zinfandel’s and Big Break was always amongst their better, if not a little more difficult to find. Drinking well now and will continue to do so through 2031, easy.
Poured into a decanter roughly an hour prior to service and presented double-blind. The 2016 “Big Break” presents a bright ruby with a deep but transparent core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and no obvious signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart, ripe and dried red fruits: cherries, Craisins, red flowers, leather, dried earth and light baking spice. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, though the fruit comes across a lot more ripe. The finish is medium+ and the alcohol is high. I called 2020 Cote du Rhône (Southern), Grenache heavy GSM blend. What a pleasant surprise! I used to drink the smack out of various Cline Zinfandel’s and Big Break was always amongst their better, if not a little more difficult to find. Drinking well now and will continue to do so through 2031, easy.
Dec 2nd, 2024
Contra Costa County, San Francisco Bay, California, USA
