Sonoma County, CA, 13.5% ABV
$6 at the Richmond, CA, store on 5 Nov
I didn’t like this wine very much at first. The fruit seemed rather simple, with red cherry and red / black raspberry, and prominent raisin. However, after the bottle was open for about 75 minutes, the fruit had become darker and a little more complex. It then showed a nice array of fruits that are ripely jammy but also tangy and sour in a way heading toward tar: black cherry, black raspberry, dark plum, and still some raisin. A little later on, about 1:45 after opening, some of the redder fruits returned to meld in very nicely.
I liked the second half of this wine, stored in a 375ml bottle and stoppered with very little air, even better. It largely resembled the wine from the night before, but was more evenly balanced and delineated, and included some orange peel and clove I hadn’t noticed before. The wine is in very good shape. Although it’s not like a Zinfandel I’ve tasted before, it fits in well into the family of Zinfandels, and I think it’s pretty good for the money.
The magical world of wines from Grocery Outlet 
Have been drinking a bottle of the BV Zin over two days….well-balanced and luscious dark fruit, with a noticeable accent of vanilla that pleasantly perfumes the nose and wine…..a very nice buy, especially at the Sale price of $5, from a long-established winery.
I’ve been a Buena Vista fan from the 80’s, I can remember tasting at David Bruce, and the staff there saying Buena Vista was their favorite winery. Hope to see this zin in Portland. I have to say the label is ugly, a lame attempt to replicate a BV label from days gone by…
Label is beyond hideous but it’s what’s inside that counts!
Given a choice between this and those critter labels, give me the Buena Vista
I bought this skeptically, especially after the review of the Merlot. I liked it from the beginning because it is a real zin that is not in your face and has — wait for it — good acidity.