Best Wine Clubs for Dad

Black Fruit Wine Reviews

These are my most recent Black Fruit reviews. I drank each of these Black Fruit wines and this is what I think about them. My opinions about each wine are my own.

Wine reviews by: Jessyca Frederick

Thacher New Routine

2017 Thacher New Routine

Big, mouth-coating red wine featuring dark red fruits, black fruits, and a host of other savory flavors.

Tasting notes: dark red fruit, black fruit, pepper

Camille Benitah Volute

2020 Camille Benitah Volute

When I taste wines like this one, I’m reminded that Napa Valley wines are mostly overpriced and overhyped. It showcases Napa’s red wine grapes and terroir without breaking the bank.

Tasting notes: black fruit, graphite, chocolate, oaky, smooth tannin

Luca Old Vine Malbec

2019 Luca Old Vine Malbec

A well-made, smooth Malbec with delicate spice, hints of espresso and violet, and enjoyable notes of black and blue fruits.

Tasting notes: smooth tannin, espresso, violet, black fruit, blue fruit

Babylonstoren Shiraz

2019 Babylonstoren Shiraz

Well-balanced, rich, deep, beautiful fruit-forward Shiraz — an excellent sipping wine. Brambly black fruit was dominant, with some subtle raspberry fruit in the background. A long slightly vanilla finish was supported by fine-grain tannins.

Tasting notes: black fruit, brambly, raspberry, vanilla, smooth tannin

Old Vines Field Blend

2018 Old Vines Field Blend

This red blend embodies all of the best qualities of its grapes — a bit of spice, a bit of oak, some red fruit, some black fruit, a touch of smokiness… without being a punch in the mouth.

Tasting notes: spice, oak, red fruit, black fruit, smoky

Notice: I hold no formal wine credentials. I am a wine geek who has consumed 1000+ of bottles from 100+ different wine clubs and 1000s more bottles that didn’t come from those wine clubs. I do not accept payment for wine reviews, and I do not accept payments to influence my opinions. I happily accept free wine (and I buy wine).

Why read my wine reviews: Wine taste is subjective. What I like may not be what you like. I try to leave room for you to form your own opinions, so I don’t provide a score or a rating. I do point out wines that are an incredible value or truly not worth the money. I note flaws, wines that don’t have typicity (because this matters if you are buying wine without having tasted it yourself), when wines are out of balance, and when wines lack appropriate body.

I don’t like wasting money (or anything for that matter). I’m careful about where I spend my money and my mindset as a reviewer is to be careful about where you spend yours. I don’t believe a high price tag equals quality and I know for sure there are wines of very good quality that are also a great value.

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