The Butterfly Effect. So Much More Than An Ashton Kutcher Film.

Updated: Aug 6, 2019

A part of chaos theory, the butterfly effect is basically one small action or inaction that results in a series of actions or outcomes that greatly effect something (seemingly unrelated) on a much larger scale at some point later. The brilliant minds editing Wikipedia have it summarized as "...a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state."

Our dog Winston looks like he's longing for the wine like a lost love.

I believe there used to be a commercial on tv that illustrated how two weeks ago a butterfly in Africa stirred up pollen off a tree that caused a hyena to sneeze which alerted a herd of elephants...yada yada...that's why your alarm didn't go off this morning. There's also this more recent ad from Nationwide, which isn't terrible.

Additionally, if you've seen any movie dealing with time travel, you've already thought about how the effects of an ill-placed footprint or a missed subway train could be devastating to future events. This movie blog has a great list of movies all based on the butterfly effect. Although, it should be noted, those in the chaos theory field say most movies incorrectly use the concept, an occupational hazard in Hollywood, haha.

But I digress...we're supposed to be talking about wine here!

~Sam Plunkett "The Butterfly Effect" Reserve Red Blend, Victoria, Australia, 2017

I enjoy the winemaker's story behind the name (as read on the back label) but as an extension of that, it's almost like Mr. Plunkett knows that the discovery of a great wine could possibly change the trajectory of someone's life. Too much? Nah.

The Review: 4/5

The initial impact of this inky goodness on my palate was jammy-jam-McJamtown. Almost chewy and supple while still finishing with a killer blend of fruit and maturity.

After consuming a full glass without stopping to write any notes (cuz she’s tasty), it’s probably a good time to get a few thoughts about this big red from the southern hemisphere down on paper.

The nose is brooding and earthy with a viscous blend of impossibly dark red and black fruits. Black cherry and maybe boysenberry join forces with aged, oiled leather and a bit of cold morning smoke lingering from a smoldering campfire started the night before. There’s also a tinge of something I can’t quite explain...an almost sweet spice...like a mysterious piece of fruit had been squished and forgotten about, naturally fermenting a tad on its own. That sounds weird… sometimes I am at a loss for words when trying to flesh out everything I’m smelling or tasting. I need to read, learn and drink a bit more, haha.

On the flavor end of the spectrum, like I said at first, all sorts of jammy goodness happens as soon as it hits your lips. There’s more of that black cherry and a more refined leather than on the nose. It has a wonderful drinkability to it while remaining stout and almost boisterous with its rich fruit and earthen undertones. You can almost feel the Australian heat and sunshine beaming off the wine and into your soul.