I first had a taste of the Prisoner a couple years ago and it was fantastic. I couldn’t help but think it was probably the best red wine I have ever had.

The next time I had a shot at another bottle I was lucky enough to bring home the remaining 1/4 of a bottle and share with Sarah. She, too, was knocked out by this delicious wine.

So, I picked up a bottle in 2010. The 2008 vintage. About $40. An amount I rarely spend on 1 bottle. But, from what I learned I should let the 2008 set til this spring before enjoying. At Christmas I picked up a bottle of the 2009 and bought one as a present for Sarah’s niece and her husband.

We were tuning in to an episode of Cougar Town after watching Modern Family one night and noticed they were drinking the Prisoner. Courtney Cox and her friends are constantly drinking wine and we got a kick out of seeing this knowing how unrealistic it is for all but the rich to drink this daily.

While the winemaker has recently changed hands early reviews of the 2009 show no diminishing quality. Three times in the past four years Wine Spectator has ranked this in the top 100.

Primarily Zinfandel but made from a blend of grapes, with the blend a little different each year, this is a soft, round, dark berry wine with hints of caramel, tobacco and mocha.

Reviews say this is drinkable now but holding on to the 2009 for a year will benefit the wine greatly and when you do finally open it in early 2011 you’ll thank yourself for having the patience to wait.

you can see the blend of grapes by year here