I’ll be honest.  I didn’t mean to buy this wine. I was picking up a Zen of Zin, and didn’t notice that this was misplaced in its rack until I had already paid for it. No worries – worth trying, right? In a normal jurisdiction with sane wine laws, the Clos Du Bois is a $12 wine. In mine, it isn’t. No matter.  How bad can it be?

The Clos Du Bois label is promising – raspberry, strawberry, cinnamon – sounds great right? In some measure the label’s promise does deliver. There is good fruit flavor and a reasonable amount of spice, giving a fairly reasonable flavor profile that you would expect from a Zin.  Unfortunately, this flavor is also accompanied by a watered down feel that might be the inspiration for Ravenswood’s “No Wimpy Wines” slogan – more than anything this particular Zin example just feels weak.

Zinfandels in this price range are not known for being… good. The Clos Du Bois is no exception. While it exhibits the characteristics you would expect in a Zin, they’re just not there in bold enough fashion to make you happy with your purchase. For a similar (or even cheaper) price, the Zen of Zin I wanted is a far superior wine.

Score: 80