Three weeks ago was the due date of my second big work project that week, and while everything was successfully finished by 11am, there was a significant amount of blood (from numerous paper cuts) and sweat that went into the project.  Thankfully, there were no tears.  The completion of this project brought my most recent hectic work period to a close.  However, when I left work on Thursday, rather than the normal exhaustion that usually hit me after I finish a big project, I had a burst of energy, probably due to the fact that I was only working half a day on Friday and would be spending the weekend in rural Pennsylvania drinking wine, eating fabulous food, and talking late into the night with several of my girlfriends.  By the time I walked in the door of our condo on Thursday night, Hubby had finished making chicken stir fry, I was chatty, and there was just a general good feeling going into the evening, so I went straight for the California red that I recently purchased because of a review in Wine Spectator.

 

 

Orin Swift’s 2008 “The Prisoner” (winery, snooth) was a blend of 46% Zinfandel, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah, 10% Petite Syrah, 2% Charbono, and 1% Grenache grapes and was a deep purplish ruby color.  On the nose, there were blueberries, dark cherries, nutmeg, cinnamon, sage, cedar, forest, and peat.  In the mouth, there was a berry pie—blueberry, blackberry, and a hint of raspberry—combined with chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, fennel, and cedar.  The wine had a medium body, medium tannins, high alcohol, and high acidity.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one!  What are you waiting for? At $40, this wine is on the high end for an “everyday” wine, but it’s well worth the cost.  “The Prisoner” is complex and food-friendly, with a flavor combination that is unique and delicious.  Due to the high alcohol content, though, the wine can be a little hot and harsh when consumed straight out of the bottle, so I recommend putting the wine through an aerator or decanting it before you drink it.  Also, while it’s worth drinking more than one glass, once you’ve given the wine a chance to breathe, the 15.2% alcohol content can be lost in the luscious flavors, so don’t let the wine take you by surprise.

Overall: 4.5 Corks