A non-vintage blend of Petite Sirah and Syrah from California.
SRP of $22.99 and available for as low as $20 for a 3 Liter Bag-in-Box. (Equivalent to four standard 750ml bottles.) Sample received courtesy Benson Marketing and McManis Family Vineyards for review purposes.
From the bottle:
"McManis Family Vineyards' tradition has always been to make the highest quality wine, while over delivering on value. Our eco-friendly Jack Tone 3 Liter Box provides that same quality of wine that we put in our bottle. This allows us to pass on the savings to you, with the equivalent of 4 bottles of premium wine - at a very reasonable price.
Our winemaker's plan for Jack Tone is to produce the finest red wine possible using any combination of four distinct varietals - Petite Sirah, Syrah, Zinfandel and Petit Verdot with the common goal of quality and "drinkability".
We hope you enjoy!
13.5% alcohol"
Believe it or not, this is the first boxed wine we've reviewed here at The Reverse Wine Snob. For the value conscious consumer (like us) boxed wines can be a great deal. In addition to the obvious quantity discount, these wines will also typically last for a month or more after opening making them extremely convenient. Today's wine is a new release from McManis Family Vineyards. We'll review its white wine counterpart tomorrow.
Despite what the label says the inaugural release of the Jack Tone Vineyards Red Wine Box Bottle Blend only contains two varieties, Petite Sirah and Syrah. In the future the blend could also include Zinfandel and Petit Verdot. And that is the potential downside of this non-vintage blend: there's really no way to know if the wine you have today will be the same as the wine you try in six months or a year. Then again the primary allure here is value. At the equivalent of $5 a bottle, this wine is really inexpensive -- and perhaps surprisingly, quite good.
The Jack Tone Vineyards Red Wine Box Bottle Blend begins with aromas of cranberry, spice, blackberry and vanilla. Those flavors of blackberry and vanilla carry over when tasting this simple, medium-bodied wine. Some light tannins also come into play, mostly on finish. The slightly dry finish also features a little spice and just a hint of mocha. We had several people taste this wine and it was universally liked. A box you'll want to break into!
See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.
Overall Rating: 7.8
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