Short LaBrat review of the 2004 InZINerator:
Excellent, fresh zinfandel, smooth, and a great lingering finish. Nine thumbs up (explained below in the longer version).
Following the Wine.Woot.com advice, I have my Wine.Woots delivered to my office. Normally this system works great – however, had I not dared dream of actually being selected as a LaBrat…well consider the following. Some of it’s a blur, but I do remember seeing the FedEx label, opening the box, the interesting graphics on the bottle, and the suddenly formed small crowd outside my office – not unlike sharks sensing blood in the water. After looking into the eyes of this thirsty crowd, I decided my best hope was to stage a rare, impromptu, mid-day Wine.Woot tasting. So I called upon eight of my dear follow office mates to assist (OK, they had heard of the “free” wine and I didn’t have to call very loudly – they just stayed and refused to leave). It’s good to have friends.
Luckily, I carefully paired the 2004 InZinerator with a fine Italian sausage pizza (leftovers that I had happened to bring today for my lunch) – sometimes things just work out all by themselves! Then I opened the bottle to breathe for approximately 45 minutes. I briefly considered decanting into a spare glass coffee carafe (lucky for Woot science that I re-thought before contaminating the wine – who knows where that carafe had been).
Let the tasting begin. In a scientific-like process, not unlike the infamous ‘lost’ Myth Buster episode involving dry ice, grape Kool-Aid, a Chihuahua, and 100-feet of bungee-cord….but lets not get off track….the tasting. We carefully poured, swirled, examined the color, sniffed, and finally tasted (mostly in that order). Within our diverse group – the overall reactions and comments were very positive. The zinfandel had a very good, fresh fruit smell, pleasant and not artificial smelling. The color was slightly lighter than expected and that of many of the recent zins. Taste was smooth, with a lingering finish – again a very pleasant experience. Our sample didn’t have a strong alcoholic taste – very drinkable. Overall, our part-time scientist gave InZINerator a unanimous ‘nine thumbs up’ (soon to be recommended as a national standard for wine tastings). The only remotely negative comment was from one poor individual, who after seeing the label graphics on Monday – made the decision not to order. She explained that her husband would have not taken a wine with such a label seriously. Being the caring group we are – we quickly pointed out to the big dummy, that had she ordered the Woot and her husband had dismissed it – she would have won big time!
On a serious note, Scott Harvey has produced another excellent wine (as we Wooters have grown to expect). I am certainly looking forward for my shipment to arrive – then maybe I can go home to my dear wife, who unfortunately didn’t get to be in on the LaBrat experience.
Block 13 Cabernet Sauvignon - 4 Pack; Sake One Sampler of Six with Gift Box; Three Screaming Purple Monkeys; Toothstejnn - 6 pack; Scott Harvey In-ZINerator threesome; Wellington Three-Pack + Mystery; Ty Caton 2005 - Field Blend Three-pack; Ty Caton Three-pack Sampler (1st group); Iron Horse Cabernet Franc - Three-pack; Epiphany Winery Spring Trio; Wellington 2003 Cuveé R Syrah 3-Pack; Pedroncelli Quartet; Helix Three Pack + One; Vino Noceto Quartet
