Winey Halloween Tasting Notes: Hob Nob Wicked Red

That hourglass…

Does anyone else get a bit confused with the current usage of the word “wicked”? Cause I know that in some geographic areas as well as certain teenager minds, “wicked” means awesome, wonderful, amazing. And yet to my Winey mind, I can’t but help think of a wicked witch. And not just any wicked witch. The word “wicked” brings a picture of The Wizard of Oz’s Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West, telling little Dorothy that when the sand runs through the hour glass, her time is up. I swear to you, that scene from the Wizard of Oz gave me more childhood nightmares than all the flying monkeys put together. (But not more than those damn raptors that can open doors in Jurassic Park…nope, that still freaks me out the most, even as an adult.)

So now you know about my hourglass phobia. Let’s talk about some wine.

I found the latest offering from Hob Nob wines and immediately knew it would be this year’s scary Halloween wine review. (See above hourglass reference if you are losing me here.) It is a brand new wine, released just last month and it’s called Wicked Red (13%, 2011, France). I’m a big fan of Hob Nob Pinot Noir (Winey Tasting Notes: I REALLY Needed Some Hob Nob Pinot Noir), so I was excited to see that they were coming out with a red blend (Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Pinot Noir). And this blend did not disappoint.

The wine is a gorgeous dark ruby red (kind of like those shoes Dorothy wore..). The bouquet is dark stone fruit – mostly black cherry, a little plum and some sharp oak. It tasted of herbs (thyme) and dark fruit (tart cherry) and had a hint of earth in there for good measure. The warm finish was smooth, smooth, smooth mild tannins (and the cherry showed up again here too). Yay!! Another reason why red blends are quickly becoming some of my favorites. The best of the red varietals all together in one bottle!

This is a red that gives you enough heft to make you feel like you’re drinking a big red wine – but one that will warm you up, not dry you out. There is absolutely nothing “wicked” (common definition, none of this teenaged stuff) about it. It’s a great wine that will fit right in at any Halloween party. It would be “wicked” good with Hershey bars, by the way. And if you are of the mindset that handing out candy bars sounds like this: “One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me”, I suggest having a bottle opened and ready to go during trick or treat! You may even want to practice ahead of time, so get two.

Cheers!