Dark Matter Wines
Dark Matter Zinfandel
Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California, USA
WNH Zin night.
Knowing the price (forced in to a 3-pack at around $110/bottle), and knowing the pedigree (Mondavi family Howell Mtn zin), you expect a certain quality. It’s not that this was subpar, it was more that this seemed in the wrong league.
My initial reaction was much worse than this final score reflects. I decanted this two hours after having a small glass which was crazy tannic. My initial, and final, thoughts on this wine are that Lamborn’s zin is equal in quality at less than half the price. That’s a significant difference. Similar to Lamborn, this isn’t overly hot, jammy or disjointed. The structure here is actually quite nice, and improved only slightly the longer it was open. It is closer to a cab, or maybe powerful merlot, in profile. There is a distinct Andes chocolate mint note prevalent throughout. Aromatically, it’s a touch high toned with bright red and black fruits, but on the palate, it shows a touch more complexity...Andes chocolate mint, spiced black raspberries, currant, and cedar. This isn’t getting any better, so open if you have it.
WNH Zin night.
Knowing the price (forced in to a 3-pack at around $110/bottle), and knowing the pedigree (Mondavi family Howell Mtn zin), you expect a certain quality. It’s not that this was subpar, it was more that this seemed in the wrong league.
My initial reaction was much worse than this final score reflects. I decanted this two hours after having a small glass which was crazy tannic. My initial, and final, thoughts on this wine are that Lamborn’s zin is equal in quality at less than half the price. That’s a significant difference. Similar to Lamborn, this isn’t overly hot, jammy or disjointed. The structure here is actually quite nice, and improved only slightly the longer it was open. It is closer to a cab, or maybe powerful merlot, in profile. There is a distinct Andes chocolate mint note prevalent throughout. Aromatically, it’s a touch high toned with bright red and black fruits, but on the palate, it shows a touch more complexity...Andes chocolate mint, spiced black raspberries, currant, and cedar. This isn’t getting any better, so open if you have it.
