Vino Vox- Copain James Berry MV/GR blend

For last Friday afternoon's fermentation, I opened an '05 Copain blended with equal parts Grenache and Mourvedre. The fruit was sourced from the James Berry Vineyard in Paso Robles. While lots of fingers have pointed toward Paso for Grenache, I kept finding weasely excuses to look elsewhere. Can't even say for sure whether it was a conscious decision. It's not fair, just a simple fact.

But, January being January, this is a time for resolutions, spiritual renewal and fresh perspectives. A Paso Rhone blend could be just the ticket to shake off the torrential rains Janus, that derned two-faced god, has been throwing our way in 2008.

45 minutes after opening, the nose shrieked of cartoon anvils. Wow! Time to return the seatback tray to its fully upright and locked position and secure that lapbelt. This ain't gonna be subtle. Concentrated sour cherry dominated and if you meditated, did lots-'n-lots of yoga and some other New Year's resolution stuff, you'd find wisps of soy. Not new world jam...Just big.

Surprisingly, anticipated fruit took a backseat on the palate. Instead, chiseled structure and chunky tannins muscled forward. While big, this was anything but rustic. More Iggy Pop... less The Stooges. Very clean and well-made wine that yearns for food stuffs like drippy cheesesteaks or the pork loin with a port & fig reduction I was planning to serve up to friends on Saturday. Perfect!

Patrick joined the sampling later and thought it was just-fine-thank-you and hinted I was overplaying the bigness aspect. Indeed, after an additional 45 minutes, I agreed, but couldn't tell if the wine had opened up or if my palate was simply numbed into submission. Penny Pincher, a fan of fiscal responsibility and massive Zins asserted, "It’s big... but not bold."

Okay, I get it... Hyperbole Stu overstated his case again. Resolution for the new year- Do not overstate my case. Ever.

In closing, big is not bad. Food and time were key. The next day, I poured the rest of the bottle alongside my pork loin (with the fig & port reduction) and it matched beautifully.

My take (even after the hyperbolic realization)? If you have patience, wait 'til 2010. Or open it and let it sit for a day. Others in the group assert otherwise.