Winey Tasting Notes: Cheers to autumn with Cocobon Red Blend

ByThe Winey Mom

It’s here…you can feel it in the air. The leaves are turning colors, there’s a coolness in the air, the colder nights, the dewy mornings. Yup, fall has arrived.

Cocobon red blend wine bottleI’ve never made any bones about the fact that I’m a weather driven wine sipper. And the thought of fall turns my taste buds to all things red (because orange and brown are not really colors I want to see in my wine glass). It just feels right to be sipping a warm, hearty red when I have a cozy sweatshirt on and my feet are once again ensconced in my warm fuzzy socks. (Yeah, I don’t go for the glamor when I get chilly. Said socks are warn and cozy but very fuzzy and rather….old and ratty.)

Ratty socks or not, I found a great welcome to fall wine recently. It’s a California red blend from Cocoon Vineyards (2013, 13.5%, CA). It was being sampled in the wine department of a local grocery store and I liked it so much I put a bottle right into my basket, then and there. (Did I mention how much more fun it is to grocery shop if you hit the wine samples first?)

Cocobon’s website says that this is “an inspired blend of mélange of Bordeaux-style varietals.” Said melange includes Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah. The Zinfandel really comes through here, as the wine starts off with a nose of chocolate and cherry.

I tasted flavors of violet, cherry and mocha. The tannins were nicely behaved in a very smooth finish – they gave me just a slight little pucker flavor to end on a fun little bite.

The words I’d use to describe it: luscious and velvety. And with all that fruit forward flavor and little kick at the end, I’ve got to call this another red blend winner. I found it for under $10 and have seen it sold online for as low as $7. Dare I tell you to stock up on this one? I dare. Stock away.

I would so totally pair this wine with a fire pit, the comfy sweatshirt and those ratty socks. Throw in a doggie on my lap and some friends and family in the surrounding chairs and you’ve got what I’d call a perfect autumn evening!

Cheers!