Gnarly Head Authentic Red – Ready to Party

50% Zinfandel, 20% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petite Sirah and 3% Syrah from Lodi, California.

Sample submitted for review. SRP of $12 and available widely for $9, including Costco. 60,000 cases produced.

From the bottle:

“Gnarly Head Authentic Red is a big, bold Zinfandel-led red blend that hails from a true grit American town: Lodi, California, where gnarled, old vines are pruned in a wild, mop-topped way called “head trained” – our true gnarly heads. These heroic old vines produce scant clusters of small-berried fruit, resulting in intensely flavored, authentic wines with concentrated dark fruit flavors.

To create our new Authentic Red, we’ve blended our densely flavorful Zinfandel with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah to deliver a massively juicy core of ripe blackberry and spice.

Pair it with boldly flavored foods like steak, grilled chops of BBQ.

14.5% Alcohol”

Let me just say right off the bat that today’s wine is not my favorite style of red wine (too sweet), but at the same time I can appreciate it for what it is — a nice party wine to pair with burgers and BBQ. I also highly suspect that this new wine from Gnarly Head will be wildly popular with the rabid fans of wines like Apothic Red and Cocobon. Add in the very cool label and it certainly appears that Delicato Family Vineyards, who were also behind the recently recommended Handcraft Petite Sirah, have a hit on their hands.

The 2010 Gnarly Head Authentic Red begins with very ripe, almost stewed aromas of dark fruit, cherry pie, vanilla and a little mint. The wine tastes sweet — it’s not overly so since some of the sweetness is covered up by all the oak flavors, but it’s definitely still on the sweet side. There’s also lots of juicy and jammy fruit like blackberry and plum. The oak flavors come in the form of vanilla, caramel and molasses plus a bit of spice and chocolate in this smooth, easy to drink, medium-bodied wine. The spice becomes a bit more prominent on the medium-long finish which also features lots more sweet fruit, vanilla and caramel.

Wine in the Loco for Lodi Series:

• Uvaggio Vermentino 2011 – Loco for Lodi
• Michael David Winery Petite Petit 2010 – Just Plain Fun To Drink
• Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel 2010 – A Classic Lodi Zin
• Macchia Amorous Sangiovese 2011 – Lovely!
• Ravenswood Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2010 – Super Ripe and Rich
• Sorelle Winery Bella e Rosa 2012 – More Than Your Typical Rosé
• Noble Vines 337 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 – A Brilliant Burger Wine
• Sorelle Winery Bellezza Fra Barbera 2011 – A Beauty Of A Barbera
• Gnarly Head Authentic Red 2010 – Ready to Party

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.