Tasting Note                         

89   2003 Rosenblum  Richard Sauret  Paso Robles Zin    1/20/06 ($25)

Color: Inky garnet-black-purple. Dense. (3.5) Bouquet: Young, slightly grapey, yeasty blackberry fruit with a healthy dose of chocolaty oak. Beef broth thrown in. Smooth, but could be more open. (3.0) Body: Excellent fruit and acidity, but chocolaty oak smothers its lively fruit. Still well-balanced in spite of the oak. Light heavyweight. (3.0) Flavor: Dense cocoa smothering lively fruit, like a fresh strawberry smothered in so much dark chocolate that it hurts your teeth to break through to the sweet fruit. Over-oaked! (2.0) Finish: Parallels bouquet, but not as open. Still fine. (3.0)
Overall: A tasty Zin for chocolate lovers, although, even they may be overwhelmed by the unabashedly chocolaty oak, which will grate on their palates and become sickening by the time they’re on their second glass. It may improve in the next 1-3 years, if the fruit can manage to peak out more from behind the chocolate. (14.5)