Drink the stuff on the right, not in the middle. (The stuff on the left is strong Michigan Lutheran Black-as-night put-hair-on-your-chest coffee).Bota Box Merlot 2011
I should never review a wine when I’m in a crappy mood but then again who wants to drink a mediocre wine when they are in a good mood.
I’m in a crappy mood because we have had rain everyday for about a month. Or at least it feels like its been everyday for a month. Tonight when I took Mr. Ben to the Y on Wheeler Road for his T-Ball team photo and for soccer camp (canceled because the field was too wet) I found a huge puddle on their lower soccer field that was full of tadpoles. When tadpoles are alive and well on a soccer field you know you’ve had too much rain.
It’s hot. It’s sticky. Everything is wet day after day. If I wanted to get rained on constantly I would have moved to Juneau.
We headed home, covered in mud from simply walking onto the field to have a photo taken. I’m in a crappy mood.
To be honest, we drink a lot of Bota Box wines. It’s simple. The box sits on our counter top next to the coffee maker. You simply pull it to the edge and pour a glass.
I try to drink wines I buy for under $10 so I can review them. But sometimes you get carried away with conversation with the family or you just relax and don’t really want to sit and write something thoughtful. So, I buy Bota Box because it’s generally good wine at a great price ( I still find The Vineyard has the best price) and the first glass tastes pretty much like the last.
But the two out of the last three varietals I bought, their 2010 Zinfandel and now their 2011 Merlot, have been less than spectacular. They both have been overly acidic. Their mouthfeel make them seem to start tasting bold but it turns sour and tart pretty quick. I love their RedVolution. That’s the third wine I’ve bought that I like.
It must be the vintage for the Zins. I haven’t found zins from 2010 and 2011 that I like (except those from Michael David). I’ve had earlier vintages of their Zin and their Merlot and liked them.
So if you want a box of wine buy the Bota Box RedVolution. It’s a great blend that is bold, lots of fruit forward flavors. Maybe a tad too much fruit for super dry wine drinkers. As for the Merlot and the Zin, stay away.
As for this box I’ll finish it. It’s not so bad that I can’t finish it especially when you’re a cheap bastard like me. It does become manageable when drinking it with food (Mrs. Dan made some fantastic potato chip-Pako encrusted chicken tonight and that made the wine a bit better. Mrs. Dan said this isn’t a great wine but was passable. But when you are in a crappy mood it just doesn’t cut it.
Update: I’m feeling a bit better. I just gave Mr. Ben a bath to get the mud off. He started telling me knock-knock jokes. It’s kinda fun to hear a 7-year-old develop a sense of humor. He was excited because he was trying to combine knock-knock jokes with fart jokes. The attempt was funny although the jokes weren’t. The only joke he’s ever gotten right was “why did the skunk cross the road? Because the chicken farted.”
From: California
Year: 2011
