Proprietary Red Blends
The 2005 Prisoner is a rich, fruit forward wine with the ripe berry characteristics of the 2003 with the balanced structure of the 2004. Aromatically, it may be the most complex and evolved vintage at this stage. The nose of this delicious wine is sweet, ripe, quietly smoky and very attractively fruity. You'll find hints of licorice root, black tea, vanilla and coffee toffee that meld seamlessly with dark cherry, plum and blackberry scents in an engaging mix. The wine is every bit as charming on the palate, where the creamy vanilla, toffee and black tea notes are reprised while the flavors shift toward pomegranate and red raspberry. The finish is lingering and never less than silky, and those savory tea/toast notes keep the wines fruitiness from overstating itself.
With airing, a more Zin-like personality emerges and black pepper, red raspberry, plum and pomegranate take center stage. Lovely already, it will serve brilliantly with many dishes, from roasts to bread and cheese picnics.
The blend has similar characteristics as past vintages with:
48% Zinfandel
26% Cabernet Sauvignon
14% Syrah
10% Petite Syrah
2% Charbono
Craig's Comments
93 points and "Highly Recommended" from the Wine Spectator-"A delicious wine offering zesty wild berry, spice and fresh tobacco, with focused and well-structured blackberry flavors. plush, rich and concentrated, with wonderful focus. Zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, petite sirah and charbono. drink now through 2011.J.L. (June 15th 2007).
From KL Wines Our notes - The 2005 Prisoner is a rich, fruit-forward wine with the ripe berry characteristics of the 2003 with the balanced structure of the 2004. Aromatically it may be the most compels and evolved vintage at this stage. The nose of this delicious wine is sweet, ripe, quietly smoky and very attractively fruity, as hints of licorice root, black tea, vanilla and coffee toffee meld seamlessly with dark cherry, plum and blackberry scents in a forward and engaging mix. The wine is every bit as charming on the palate, where the creamy vanilla, toffee and black tea notes are reprised while the flavors shift toward pomegranate and red raspberry. The finish is lingering and never less than silky, and those savory tea/toast notes keep the wine's fruitiness from overstating itself. 48% zinfandel, 26% cabernet sauvignon, 14% syrah, 10% petite sirah and 2% charbono.
From James the Wine Guy The Prisoner is a red blend consisting of 48% Zinfandel, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah, and 2% Charbono. This wine has a nice complexity related to varietals that are not often paired together–Zinfandel and Charbono for example. The flavor signature of this wine is a gorgeous lateral evenness of blackberry, toffee, cola, black Tellicherry pepper. This is a wine that promises (and it is quite drinkable today) will enhance with age.
There are lot of blending going on in California; once a state of only straight and singular varietals is evolving to a fine art of blending varietals; they seem to become more intricate, some not so good but many that I try I remarkable. This is a remarkable California red blend that is also reasonably priced (early to mid-thirties).