Deep ruby color; cherry, raspberry on the nose; sweet cherry, raspberry, cranberry, red plum, vanilla and hint of chocolate on the palate.
Dry; very ripe fruit-forward, so at least the illusion of sweetness, there may even be some sugar added (chaptalization). In any event, this wine clearly is manipulated in the winery rather than expressing a specific terroir. Easy-going tannin and mild acidity—pop-and-pour wine, not need to decant. The softness of the acidity adds to the sweetness. Bordeaux-like blend of 40% merlot, 30% cabernet sauvignon, 20% petit verdot, 10% malbec; aged 10-plus months in French and American oak; 13.5% ABV. Plenty of oak and ripe fruits for fans of big oak and big fruit.
I typically fear gimmicky wines, and one geared to exploiting the zombie genre by sporting a label that causes your cell phone to play a simulation of a zombie breaking out of the bottle and mauling your cell phone screen. Yes, if you have the app, that can appear to happen, which certainly qualifies as heavy on the gimmick game.
This is not a wine I might pour every day, but it certainly could be a hit at a Walking Dead or zombie-themed party. It is a Treasury Wine Estates product, and the Australian mega wine maker cleverly knows how to target a specific market target and how to appeal to specific popular wine tastes. Thus this wine’s flavor profile and its augmented reality label. If you don’t use your cell phone for augmented reality experiences, you have never heard of the Walking Dead television/Netflix and comic book franchise, and are not into big oak and ripe fruit wines, then you likely should take a pass on this pour.
Treasury is a major international player in the wine world, making wine in 12 countries, selling more than 35 million cases of wine a year, generating more than $2 billion in sales. Treasury tends to focus on commodity wines sold in supermarkets and mass-market liquor-beer-wine stores. Labels you may recognize include Sterling Vineyards, Stags’ Leap, Beaulieu Vineyard, Beringer, Chateau St. Jean, Greg Norman Estates, Lindeman’s, Wolf Blass, and their flagship—Penfolds.
The Last Wine Company The Walking Dead Blood Red Blend 2015 is bold red blend of Bordeaux grapes. Easy drinker with plenty of oak and ripe fruits for fans of oak and ripe fruits. Competes in the Apothic popular premium category. If you are into zombies and The Walking Dead franchise, this definitely is worth a swirl. If offered a glass, you do not have to recoil because it is undrinkable. I think this is a wine you pair with a party and whatever finger foods, pizzas, burgers or fast-food assortment is on the table in the dorm room, frat house, or starter home table. $13-19
YouTube video of the animated label
This is commodity wine not connected to vineyards and a winery, so there are no enchanting photos.