Terra d’Oro Amador Zinfandel, 2016 (California)

“Oh you fancy, huh?”

Price at Purchase: $10.99

Location: Costco

***Full disclosure: I completely forgot to take take a photo of this wine before we drank it, so you'll have to just be happy with the stock photo. Also, if you own this winery, please don't sue me.

Don’t let the name of this wine fool you: it sounds Italian but it’s 100% Californian through and through--just like your sorority sister who studied abroad in “Roma” for a semester, makes everyone call her Luciana, and now takes a daily siesta (they’re just naps, Lucy!). But, because this wine is a bit on the heavier side, you may be curled up on the couch right next to her after a few glasses of this one.

At first, I got a lot of blackberry and plum notes, which was both refreshing and intense. While not the smoothest wine I’ve ever had, it had some great spice to it—like a mix of pepper and licorice. A wine this flavorful should definitely be accompanied by an entrée of some sort. So pair this bad boy with a steak (medium rare, of course), and it’ll be an instant crowd-pleaser. Just let this one breathe for a moment before pouring, since it’s pretty concentrated.

The bottle description really lives up to its “Land of Gold” label name. It describes the wine as “rich,” “distinctive,” AND “24-carat” all within the same paragraph—we get it, you’re fancy. Would I serve it to my friends? Hell yes. My parents? For sure. Michelle Obama? Absolutely. What?! My start-up hasn’t IPO’d….yet.