Varietal:  Petite Sirah, Teroldego, Cabernet Sauvignon
Region:  California – USA
Cost:  $14 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes:  The 2012 Apothic Dark blends dark fruit flavors of blueberry and blackberry with opulent notes of coffee and dark chocolate for a rich, yet silky smooth, palate.

My Review:  You ever go to pull a bottle out of your rack and find something there you had forgotten waiting to be sipped on? That happened to me last night, making me feel terrible about not having opened the 2012 Apothic Dark before now. It was, surprisingly, worth the wait.

I’ve had the Apothic Red before and, while it wasn’t terrible or undrinkable by any means, it didn’t blow me away, especially since I knew I could get wines I liked better for the same price. The Apothic Dark, on the other hand, caught me off guard with its more complex and bold flavors.

The wine, as the name would imply, is dark in the glass, with streaks of purple showing when given a good swirl. On the nose I picked up dark chocolate and blueberry, both of which carried over into the palate. In the mouth the wine was rich and silky, with blueberry leading the way before giving way to rich dark chocolate and a nice smooth finish.

I hadn’t really planned on this bottle when making dinner,  so the pairing of a flounder with root vegetables wasn’t exactly a great pairing, but the wine was perfect for sipping on both before and after the meal, and I think paired with something heartier – a steak or some kind of beef stew, the wine would have been a great pairing.

I’ll be the first to admit that the Apothic wines, when I first encountered them, seemed like an appeal to the Twilight loving sect of young wine drinkers. While that may or may not be true, I can say that I was actually impressed with the 2012 Apothic Dark. There was a lot more character and flavor to the wine than I went in expecting, and it’s actually a good value wine to me.

The 2012 Apothic Dark is a limited release wine, so you may have trouble finding it this time of year, but should you come across a bottle, I do recommend grabbing it and putting it with something warm and hearty as we move further into the winter season.

Editor’s Note: I received this wine as a free sample for review.

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Tags: blackberry, blueberry, coffee, dark chocolate, silky wines, smooth wines, Teroldego, value wines