Wine: Barefoot Cellars Lodi Zinfandel

The Barefoot Cellars Lodi Zinfandel is a $7 wine, but it had some kind of Gold Medal sticker on the neck so I tried it. The first sip was bland, tasteless, slightly OFF and not good. I set it aside. As it oxidized and warmed to room temperature over the next 30-50 minutes, the flavor woke up and it tasted pretty good. This is one of those examples of a wine that has to breathe before its drinkable. I suspect that if they used a proper cork instead of the plastic/rubber artificial cork it would be better. I also suspect that were this blended with Cab and Merlot, it would make a really good wine. I'm tempted to try their Red blend next time and see. Barefoot Cellars is from Santa Rosa, my home town.