“Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions
and more tolerance.” … Benjamin
Franklin
Black Ink Wines and TGIC Importers Inc introduced a red blend
of Syrah, Merlot, Malbec and Zinfandel with the simple California appellation
that earned 83 points from Wine Enthusiast upon its release. The label,
allegedly, displays a squid (although I couldn’t see it) but the name is
appropriate enough. I’ve occasionally
used the term “squid ink” in describing a wine’s color and the term here may be
a little enthusiastically applied, although the wine is certainly medium to
deep ruby. More importantly: the wine is
another crowd pleaser and, priced at $10 U.S., deserves the interest it has
been drawing in the trade.
In the glass, Black Ink (2014) wafts a strong aroma of
blackberry preserves with whispered notes of white pepper along with mashed
blackberry and black plum. Straight to the point, these notes carry into the
taste. The winemaker’s notes refer to smoky licorice. The licorice (not the
smoke, more like smoked paprika for me) eluded my aged taste buds, though some cherry
developed in the glass with air. The wine has a glycerin feel on the palate and
finishes warmly in the back taste, blending some heat along with some sweetness
that I found interesting. At 13.5% ABV,
the heat was surprising, but worked nicely against both the wine’s texture and
sweetness.
One professional review referred to …”robust, dark, inky,
tannin-rich…” I found the tannins as
rounded and soft as to be almost imperceptible: not a fault in a crowd
pleasing, “safe” wine (see previous review for definition of “safe.”). There’s
a reason why red blends are a dominant segment in the wine industry, and Black
Ink serves as an example. Not made to be complex and analyzed over
philosophically, it is a fruit forward, but not jammy wine that pleases the
mass senses and does so at budget friendly prices. In fact, releases from TGIC
refer frankly to Black Ink as a “juicy new red wine blend from California”.
TGIC Global Fine Wine Company (aka Guarachi Wine Partners)
was founded in 1985 by Alex Guarachi of Chili and includes Black Ink of
California in their portfolio of many fine wines including Bodega Norton and
Pascual Toso. Guarachi Wine Partners has since become the #1 importer of South
American wines priced over $10 and works with both international and domestic
partners.
Cheers!
……………………. Jim
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