COMMENTARY: Could The Prisoner Red Blend be in the proverbial “sweet” spot? Since its arrival into the marketplace in 2000, this wine became an instant star, albeit controversial in some quarters of the wine world because of perceived sweetness. Many of my closest wine pals also decried that the wine was too extracted. While the wine flirts a bit beyond the standard threshold residual sugar level, this wine is pretty tasty and dry in a New World way. The 2019 vintage is the wine’s best effort to date, and it signals its long journey to become a wine that everyone can wrap their palate around. TASTING NOTES: This wine brings the force of bold, black fruit, savory spices, and oak onto the palate. Pair it with grilled baby back ribs. (Tasted: October 14, 2020, San Francisco, CA)