This is Part 2 of my Lodi Old Vines Zin series.  Part 1 was the Spellbound 2005.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Ravenswood. Vintner’s Blend was one of my favorites when I was first getting into wine and their No Wimpy Wines slogan was appealing to that early-20s guy still making the transition from of kegs of Natty Light from his college days (or if we were splurging, Killian’s).  Now that I’m more “sophisticated”, I still dig Zin, but I appreciate Ravenswood’s broad range of “County Series” and “Vineyard Designates” wines. So I have high hopes for this bottle, from the County Series.

Ravenswood Old Vines Zinfandel 2006 Lodi

Producer: Ravenswood

Grapes: 78% Zinfandel, 21% Petite Sirah, 1% Carignane (this just barely qualifies for being labeled a Zinfandel; minimum is 75%)

Appellation: Lodi

Vineyards: Old vines in sandy soil. (Neither the label nor the website indicates just how old the vines are.)

Winemaking/Aging: Fermented with native yeasts in open fermenters, hand-punched.  18 months in 100% French oak, 25 – 30% of which was new.

Alcohol: 14.8% (ahem)

Price: About $11-12

Package: I’ve always liked the Ravenswood logo and relatively simple labeling with the appellation clearly shown.

My tasting notes: Deep color. Mixed berries, especially blueberries, on the nose, with pretty strong alcohol coming through along with some oak. On the palate, it’s a rich, plush wine with sweet plum, spice, and an slight funky earthiness that is very appealing. It finishes dry and spicy with some tannic grip and good length, though a bit hot.

Overall assessment: Overall, I think this is a dynamite wine for the price. Feels like the old vines squeezed out some of their essence for this wine. It feels … serious. B+

Free association: Something about this wine reminded me of the sadness of many of Patty Griffin’s songs. Top of the World is one of my favorites. (If you only know the Dixie Chicks version of this song and/or you’re not familiar with Patty Griffin, you’re in for a treat. A sad treat, but a treat nonetheless.)

More info:

Another Wine Blog tasted this wine single-blind and declared it a great value.

Other blogger reviews at Fiesty’s Wines and Gabe’s View.

Loads of tasting notes on CellarTracker.

Gary V. tasted the 2005 vintage of this wine on WineLibraryTV and loved it.

I enjoyed doing the Unoaked Chardonnay series last week so I decided to do another series. And after a week of nothing but white wine (which is very unusual for me), I decided to go to my sweet spot: Old Vines Zin. I kept it in the everyday price range ($10-15 for me) and picked a single appellation – Lodi – to focus on, hoping I’ll learn a bit more about it along the way. Maybe after I do 3 or 4 from Lodi, I’ll do 3 or 4 from another AVA (Paso Robles?) for a little compare/contrast.

Spellbound Old Vines Zinfandel 2005 Lodi

Producer: Spellbound

Grapes: 99% Zinfandel, 1% Petite Sirah

Appellation: Lodi (map)

Vineyards: 52-year-old vines

Winemaking/Aging: Stainless steel fermentation. Aged in 50% French and 50% American oak (no indication of length of aging).

Alcohol: 13.5%

Price: I paid $15

Package: Synthetic cork closure. Kinda cool-looking bottle. The black & white label with the shadowy moon is pretty evocative. Just right for a Halloween party or your next coven meeting.

My tasting notes: Color is a bit lighter than most Zins in my experience. But the nose doesn’t hold back. I leaned in for my first sniff, planning to park my nose deep in the glass, and I literally stopped and jerked back. It positively reeked of candy and berry juice. So sweet-smelling! It mellowed a bit later, but the overall impression is of raspberry jam spread on the backside of a strip of leather or a plank of wood. On the palate, it stays in that intense, sweet, candied berry range with a little floral quality. Imagine Hawaiian Punch steeped in a handful of potpourri. (Anyone remember the store called World Bazaar that used to be in all the malls back in the 80s? You needed a gas mask to survive a trip in there with your mom.) It’s a medium-bodied wine, with a moderately long finish that leaves an impression mainly of oak.

Overall assessment: I’ll admit to having a positive bias toward old vines Zin — it’s the style of wine I want to like the most. But this one falls short for me. It doesn’t bring complexity so much as intensity in a very candied fruit way. I could see some people really liking the intense fruit — the flavors are very bright and clean. But I think it needs some darkness (mocha, earth, meatiness) to match the label and to make it feel more … serious. C+

Free association:

Other info:

Winemaker’s notes.

The wine scored 88 from Wine Enthusiast and 80 from Wine Spectator, with pretty different tasting notes (collected here).