The 2008 Prisoner blend is 46% Zinfandel 26% Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Syrah 10% Petite Sirah 2% Charbono 1% Grenache. The wine has jammy aromas and lush flavors of wild berries with hints of spice and tobacco. There is nice structure, very smooth for a youngster with a lasting finish.
The blend changes a little bit each year but generally keeps to the same flavor profile that has made the wine a raging success among its enthusiastic fans - this vintage is up there with the best California Zins that cost twice as much. Zin blends are some of the most exciting wines coming out of California today and this is perhaps the finest example.
Not the "typical" contemporary Napa red, but more like a "field blend" that might have been made decades ago. Fruit sourced from some of the best of the best Napa Valley vineyards: Tofanelli, Morisoli, Page Nord, Marston, to name a few. 2005 vintage was #17 in the Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2007 Wine Spectator past scores:
