Napa Cellars Zinfandel 2012

This Zin is a friggin' delight. Though not without tannins, it isn't too sharp and pointy. It has a spiciness you would expect from a good zin, and beautiful dark cherry and berry fruits carry through the nose and into the finish. And it just has a big and bold flavor. I swear my friend Beth can hear me opening this from Hollywood.

I'm sure you can pair this with just about anything until the cows come home, but it is perfectly good to just drink. Which we did. We drank the entire thing in one sitting,

Napa Cellars has both their Classic collection, which is where this Zin is categorized, and a Platinum Reserve, which features a Chardy, Cab Sauv, and a Syrah.

I'm currently cellaring my Platinum Reserve bottles, but believe me, I can foresee a time when I have to bust into the good stuff. But luckily I had enough foresight to grab Classic Collection Cabs, Syrahs, Zins and Merlots. They are all above average wines, but the Cab and Zin in particular are quite good. And affordable. You can find them in the grocery stores for between 18 and 25 per bottle, and many stores offer 6-pack discounts, so you can actually save more money on some very good wine.

Not "good" wine. REALLY good wine. I hesitate to call these "great," because when you have great wine, the rest of the world just becomes a little desaturated, and you really start to understand the difference. And your taste starts to discriminate a bit.

But if you are having a party and need (or just 'want,' I'm not judgin') some REALLY good wine, this is like the slightly nerdy professor, who is also a little sexy, who starts off a little serious and turns out to be a lot of fun, mostly for his extensive knowledge of dirty jokes.

Bottom line: Loosen up and drink it!