Grilled Ribs and a unique Big Red Zin

Grilled Ribs and a unique Big Red Zinfandel wine 

For Memorial Day dinner Linda and son Alec (still bach'ing it for another day) grilled ribs with asparagus and sweet corn. We were joined by son Sean and wife Michelle. 

 
I pulled from the cellar this interesting unique bottling of Zinfandel aged in Bourbon Barrel. I wrote about this last year when we discovered this and served it last winter in a similar setting and wrote about it in this blogpost: Carpenter Creek Cellars Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel.

This was fun and interesting to compare with the unique Dueling Pistols Zin-Syrah Blend that we had left over from the previous evening. The Zinfandel wasn't as big or bold as the Zinfandel which was more focused than the blend was, as I wrote, a bit obtuse and angular. The Zin provided easier sipping, more harmonious with the balanced dinner.

Carpenter Creek Cellars Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel 2017

I featured Carpenter Creek Cellars from north central Indiana in an earlier post in these pages when we visited the winery and discovered their wines. They acquire grapes from growers throughout the midwest, California, and also grow some of their own. 

For this Zinfandel varietal selection, they obtained grapes from northern California sources, and aged the wine in used Bourbon Barrels. As I wrote that winter, the result was infusing an exotic smokiness and liquor layer that when combined with the full forward Zinfandel fruits accentuated and highlighted the tangy barbecue wonderfully. 

This label release from Carpenter Creek Cellars features a striking gold label packaging, the first indication that there is something special going on here.

Garnet colored, slightly opaque, medium-full-bodied, black fruits accented by clove spice, smoke, caramel, vanilla, and hints of black pepper and cocoa. An extraordinary pairing with with the BBQ.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3807095

https://carpentercreekcellars.com/

@carpenterwines