Notes on two more 3.0L box wines I have tasted!

#3…Black Box Riesling 2009

DAY 1: Not much varietal aroma, subtle. Soft, with fat fruit on the palate. Sweet, like a Spatlese, but very little Riesling varietal character, which is odd. Finished softly, again without the acidity one expects from Riesling.

DAY 3: Aromatically challenged, the wine is simply sweet and soft, no varietal, low acids, a bit of ripe sweetness, but NO Riesling. The least recommended of the bunch so far.

DAY 5: Gave this to my neighbor, who likes sweet wines and doesn’t think much more about it than that

-Not recommended

#4…BOTABOX Shiraz 2009

DAY 1: Slightly muted aromas of cherries and spice. Ripe and pleasant, with plum, berries and a touch of prune flavors. Soft, low acidity and just a touch of tannins. Red fruit and cinnamon flavors on the finish. Deep color. All in all, not a bad box.

DAY 3: Hangs on to the ripe spice, not very rich, but down the middle, medium body, soft spice and a freshness that makes it very drinkable.

DAY 11: Spice aromas are gone, but the Shiraz still has that Syrah aroma and flavor. What better compliment can you give a wine, especially at this (entry) level than to say it has varietal flavor. Maybe a little off-dry, but still fine enough, and the reason I wanted to run this experiment is so I could find nice, inexpensive, correct wines that would hold up so I could have them over time and not have to drink the good bottles.

DAY 13: Still nice, not great, but it was never a great wine; still shows ripe fruit, although uncomplex and with only one real flavor profile, at least the one flavor is pleasant. At this point, I like this one as much as the Malbec from BotaBox and will buy it again.

DAY 15: Slightly faded aromas yet still holding pretty well. Still has a good fruit component, sadly it is nearly gone!

-Recommended

Shayne Hebert, Wine Supervisor Central Florida