Tag Archives: Zinfandel

Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Wine Guerrilla Forchini Vineyard DCV Zin 2008

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“Rising from the Sonoma terroir like the weathered fists of century-old men, these 100+ year old vines have seen history.” [from the winery’s website]

Producer: Wine Guerrilla

Grapes: A field blend (yay!) of around 95% Zin and the rest a mix of Carignan, Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouchet.

Appellation: Dry Creek Valley (AVA, California)

Vineyard: Forchini Vineyard

Vintage: 2008

Winemaking: No info on the website, so let’s make shit up: The grapes were press by the feet of Swedish supermodels and the juice was then filtered through the Shroud of Turin.

Alcohol: 15.7% (!)

Price: $30

Tasting notes: A big rich, spicy noseful of dark fruit. Also (and I know how pretentious this sounds), there’s something that reminds me the smell after a rainfall. Definitely can smell the 15.7%. The heat’s there on the palate as well, distracting from the dark berry flavors.

Overall impression: This one is too hot (and a little one note) for me. C+

Free association:

“Imagine what I would have done with my fire breathing fists.” – Charlie Sheen

Image credit: ~Zeigler

More info:

This bottle was provided as a press sample from the winery.

Wine Enthusiast rated this wine an 84, noting the excessive heat.

Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Wine Guerrilla Conte Vineyard RRV Zin 2008

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I first took notice of Wine Guerrilla, a producer of several distinct Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley Zins, after reading this post at Benito’s Wine Reviews. Reading the post and checking out their website reminded me of my early days as a wino, er , wine lover. After having my eyes opened to the world of wine by a Cabernet on a camping trip, I quickly gravitated to Zinfandel. On my first couple of trips to wine country, I focused on Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley and was on the hunt for Zins. Wine Guerrilla’s mission is “Finding the very best zinfandel grapes, and crafting wines worthy of the grape’s unique characteristics, and introducing those wines to the public.” I can get behind that.

Producer: Wine Guerrilla

Grapes: A co-fermented field blend (yay!) of 83% Zinfandel, 12% Petite Sirah, 2% Carignan, 2% Alicante Bouchet and 1% Grenache

Appellation: Russian River Valley (AVA, California). A cool-climate sub-region within Sonoma County that is known primarily for the Burgundian grapes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but it’s Zinfandels are a highlight, too – usually noted for their finesse, balance and delicacy. Not sure that description fits here, but read on…

Vineyard: Conte Vineyard

Vintage: 2008

Winemaking: Spent time in 1-3 year old oak barrels (French, American and Hungarian)

Alcohol: 15.9%

Price: $30

My tasting notes: This wine definitely reminds me of why I fell in love with Zin when I first got into wine. Big, fruity nose that shows rich raspberry and blackberry fruit, and even some prune and raisin but not in a bad way (at least for me). Definitely some sweet oak on the nose, too. Dense, rich mouthfeel that’s full of more delicious red and black fruit. Solid acidity and tannins. The 15.9% alcohol is definitely noticeable, which wouldn’t have bothered me so much in the early years, but I wish was toned down a bit here.

Overall impression: Another Zin from the “these go to eleven” school, but nicely made and better than most. The luscious fruit doesn’t seem fake or sugary and there’s enough acid to keep it out of trouble. If you’re a Zin fan, you should keep an eye out for this one. B/B+

Free association:

More info:

Only 195 cases produced.

This bottle was provided as a sample for review by the winery.

Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Mourvèdre Monday #5: Edward Sellers Cognito 2006

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It’s back to California for today’s Mourvèdre Monday post, specifically Paso Robles. Though I first fell in love with Mourvèdre via the old vines examples from Contra Costa County, Paso Robles is a hotbed of Rhône grape-growing in California. Edward Sellers is a Rhône-style specialist in Paso, with a focus on blends vs. varietal bottlings (though not exclusively). This bottle, which they call Cognito, is a CdP-style blend of Mourvèdre, Syrah and Grenache with some Zin added for a California flair. Let’s check it out.

Producer: Edward Sellers

Grapes: 45% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah, 20% Zinfandel, 15% Grenache

Appellation: Paso Robles (AVA, California)

Vineyards: no info

Vintage: 2006

Winemaking: 100% neutral French oak.

Alcohol: 14.9%

Price: I paid $29 at Spec’s in Austin.

My tasting notes: The nose is throws a punch of raspberry fruitiness and cherry cola, with a bit of creamy vanilla and a touch of mocha. On the palate, it’s fat and fruity, mostly red fruit again. A hint of minerality if you’re really searching for it, and a peppery note at the finish. Despite Mourvèdre being the largest share of the blend, I don’t get much of what I really enjoy from Mourvèdre-based wines: structure, meatiness, earthy/savory qualities.

Overall impression: This is another one where I was not digging the first glass, but it evened itself out by the second glass into something closer to my liking. In the end, though, it’s not something I’d buy again, not at nearly $30. C+

Free association:

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/warmnfuzzy/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

More info:

576 cases produced.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

artezin Zinfandel 2007 Mendocino County

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artezin (I think they prefer no caps) is a part of the Hess Family of wineries. The label is focused on Zin, Petite Sirah and Carignan. In this wine, they “strive for a classic varietal, fruit-forward, ‘Zinny’ Zin.” Let’s see if they hit the mark for me.

Producer: Artezin Wines

Grapes: 91% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah

Appellation: Mendocino County (AVA, California)

Vineyards: “from the ridgelines and benchlands of the Ukiah Valley”

Vintage: 2007

Winemaking: Aged in 2nd and 3rd year French oak barrels.

Alcohol: 14.8%

Price: $11.99 at Costco in Austin

My tasting notes: For me this is has classic Zinfandel character in a more restrained style than many these days. Mixed berry fruit aromas with a caramel note from the oak treatment. More brambly berry flavors, with some spice and pepper. Smooth-texured. I was surprised when I looked checked and saw that this was 14.8% alcohol – it hides it well.

Overall impression: Zinny Zin, indeed. As long as you’re not expecting a “rip your face off” kind of Zin, I doubt you’d be disappointed with this everyday bottle. B

Free association: “Textbook” Zin… (lazy, I know)

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/underneath/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

More info:

There is a link to a podcast/video of the winemaker discussing this wine on the artezin website here.

90 points from Wine Enthusiast (this vintage and the 2006).

A few other takes on this wine at CellarTracker.

Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Story Winery Picnic Hill Zinfandel 2006

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I received this bottle as a sample provided by the winery.

Producer: Story Winery (these guys own the www.zin.com domain, so they’re serious about Zin)

Grapes: 100% Zinfandel

Appellation: Shenandoah Valley, an AVA within the Sierra Foothills appellation. Officially called “California-Shenandoah Valley” to distinguish it from Virginia’s “Shenandoah Valley” AVA). Gold Rush country.

Vintage: 2006

Vineyard: The vines in the Picnic Hill vineyards were planted over 100 years ago. Them’s seriously old vines, folks. Some wineries have 30 year old vines and call them old vines. These are Model-T old. Pre-forward pass in football old. Old old.

Winemaking: Aged 10 months in neutral French and American oak. Unfiltered.

Alcohol: a whopping 16%!

Price: $25 from the winery or Snooth.

My tasting notes: A very sweet-smelling, candied nose. There are beautiful raspberry/strawberry notes along with darker fruit. And something in there makes me think of the candied almonds you get at the fair. On the palate, the wine saturates my tongue with more sweet berry fruit and vanilla creme. The texture gets almost gritty toward the end (unfiltered). It finishes hot, though you don’t feel it so much in your throat as in your esophagus.

Overall impression: Definitely from the high-octane school of Zin. I really enjoyed the seductive nose. This is a bottle to share with several friends at the end of the night. B-

Free association:

"These go to eleven." (click for video at YouTube)

More info:

There’s a video review of this wine at Organic Wine Review. They call it: “Berry Balanced for the BBQ”

Some others’ reviews on Snooth.

Price: 10 bucks or less, Tasting Notes

Cameron Hughes Lot 160 Old Vines Zin 2008 Lodi

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I always feel a little guilty when I buy a wine from Cameron Hughes and their ilk. If you aren’t familiar with the model, Cameron Hughes calls itself a “modern international negociant.” Negociant is French for “Man Without Dirt”. OK, I just made that up. But a negociant owns no vineyards and buys up various “lots” of wine from wineries and vineyards that are selling them off instead of bottling them. The negociant typically blends them into wines they sell under their own label. For the Cameron Hughes Lot Series, the purchased lots are not blended, but bottled separately. Their website explains a number of reasons why a winery might sell off a perfectly good lot of wine instead of bottling it. And I get it, but I just don’t like not knowing where the wine comes from and who made it. It spoils the romance for me.

But I do buy them occasionally (as well as wines from Vineyard Block Estates, a similar operation). I bought this one because I did a series on Lodi old vines Zin a while back and struck out on most of those wines. I keep wanting to find better examples.

Producer: Who the hell knows. “Cellared and Bottled by Cameron Hughes Wine.”

Grapes: Zinfandel (presumably 100%)

Appellation: Lodi (AVA, California)

Vineyards: It’s a secret. They say the source vineyard consists of 30-60 year old vines.

Winemaking: no idea

Alcohol: 14.9%

Price: $8.99 at Costco in Austin

My tasting notes: Pretty cherry/raspberry/blackberry juice aromas wrapped in creamy oak. A touch of white pepper or maybe clove as well. On the palate it’s very Robitussin, with cherry and vanilla flavors and a peppery bite at the finish. Smooth textured with just a touch of tannic presence. Got awkward on day two.

Overall impression: It tastes good, but isn’t terribly interesting for me. But a good value for a burger/BBQ/party wine at $9. C+/B-

Free association:

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/belljar/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

More info:

6875 cases produced.

Info on the wine (including a video) at the Cameron Hughes website.

Commentary

For I Am ZINFANDEL!

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Last week, in a post on the 7 Deadly Zins 2007 Lodi Zinfandel, I included the poem that was on the back label of the bottle. It reminded me of this poem that used to appear on the back label of Cline’s always reliable California appellation Zins:

Know me, stranger, for I am thy
blood and thy nectar.
I shall wet thy lips, parched
by the winds of deprivation.
And nourished shall be thy body,
desiccated by the scorching
inferno of temperance.
Rest thy head upon my busom,
Lose thyself in the ecstasy of
my caresses,
And know me, For I am
ZINFANDEL!

— Author Unknown

Incidentally, I have a t-shirt with this poem on the back, purchased from the Cline tasting room.

According to this article, Cline removed the poem from the label after drawing the attention of some bureaucrat claiming that “nourished shall be they body” was some sort of health claim. Ridiculous of course, but that never stopped a bureaucrat.

~~~~~

Magician_Master_coverThe last line — “And know me, For I am ZINFANDEL” — reminds me of an uber-geeky reference from my high school days. In the book Magician: Master by Raymond E. Feist, the main character Pug/Milamber (if you haven’t read it, it will take too long to explain why he has two names) goes into a fit of rage over an injustice he is witnessing. Just before he lays waste to everyone and everything in sight with his magical powers, he launches into a scathing monologue that ends with…

“Tremble and despair, for I AM POWER!”

I know it won’t seem particularly impressive if you haven’t read the book, but when you’re reading it the first time as a pimply teenager, it’s epic. Trust me.

I want to see which of my readers was a D&D/fantasy novel geek like me! If you read the novel and/or remember this quote, PLEASE leave a comment.


Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

7 Deadly Zins Old Vine Zinfandel 2007 Lodi

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7DeadlyZins_bottleshotI don’t know what it is about me and Lodi Zin. I did a series on Lodi old vines Zin a few months ago and only really liked 1 out of 5. Zinfandel has always been one of my favorite grapes, but maybe my palate has shifted away from what these moderately-priced examples can deliver – maybe especially from a hot climate like Lodi. Yet, I keep wanting to give it another chance so I picked this one up recently. Apparently Parker gave this one a 90 and it was around $12 so I thought it was worth a shot. The gimmicky name should have helped me steer clear, but alas, it did not.

Producer: Michael~David Winery

Grapes: Old vines Zinfandel “blended with small amounts of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot” (no %s specified).

Appellation: Lodi (AVA, California)

Vineyards: Blended from 7 Lodi growers.

Winemaking: aged in American oak barrels

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: Around $12

My tasting notes: Bright, sweet, candied berries on the nose with a little mint or menthol (or maybe its just the alcohol showing). Smells a lot like when you walk into a winery – a little overpoweringly ripe. On the palate it’s fleshy with very extracted black fruit with a touch of earth. No structure or acidity to speak of – and it suffers for it.

Overall assessment: This is just too fruit-bomby for my taste these days. C

Free association:

nehi_grape_bottlecap

More info:

A wide range of responses to this wine from bloggers and others: Cork’d (avg. 88), CellarTracker (avg. 85), TasteWine, WineLife365, Wine Belly, La Jolla Mom and Goût Goût !! 味之道 (which is in Japanese so I have no idea whether they liked it or not, but I include it in case you read Japanese – plus, I just like seeing Kanji on my blog)

The back label has the following poem…

I’m raging with ire, an ocean of fire,
My Wrath is the path to all I desire.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
 I’m inflated with pride, near-bursting inside,
A self-centered repenter, Vanitys’ bride.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
 I’m mired in mud, inert as a slug,
Sloth is the cloth that’s woven my rug.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
 I eat day and night, consuming all in my sight,
A Glutton with nothing but a huge appetite.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
 My will I ignore, my Envy’s a chore,
Over zealous and jealous, I want so much more.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
 I’m ravenous to feast, an insatiable beast,
I concede to the Greed demanding release.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.
 I hunger for trust, my craving’s a must,
My sin is the Zin enslaving my Lust.
Oh Lord, forgive me my Zins.

— Kevin Phillips

Not exactly Shakespearean, but I commend the effort. Better than “Drink with hearty meat or pasta dishes.”

Also on the label: “Seven of Lodi’s Best Growers gave their souls to produce this one of a kind sinful blend of seven old vine deadly zins.” Sorry – bad trade.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Deep Purple Zinfandel 2007 Lodi

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I should have known better than to buy this wine. I generally avoid wines with such gimmicky names/labels. But a few months ago I was planning a series of posts on Lodi old vines Zinfandel and was picking up just about every bottle of it I saw. I realized later that this one doesn’t say old vines on the label, so I didn’t include it in the series.

07_deep_purple_labelgrab

Producer: Deep Purple

Grapes: Zinfandel (it’s not stated on the label or fact sheet if it is 100%)

Appellation: Lodi (on the website they note that Lodi is “a totally respectable wine growing area mentioned in a Creedence Clearwater song“)

Winemaking: 8 months in French and American oak.

Alcohol: 13.9% on the label (13.6% on the fact sheet)

Price: about $12

My tasting impressions: In terms of color, “deep purple” it is not. I’d call it light-to-medium color, certainly not inky dark. The first whiff of this wine takes me back to 4th grade. Did you have a slot-car track when you were a kid? Well, remember when, after about 50 laps around the track, you’d get this overheated, metallic smell? That’s what I thought of when I first smelled this wine. (An overheated blender smells about the same, but my mind when to that slot-car track first.) That blows off after a short while and the (somewhat candied) bright berry aromas come to the front. There’s a bit of vanilla and green pepper, too. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with plum and cherry flavors and a slight herbal edge. Needs some acid.

Overall assessment: In the end, I find this to be a rather simple wine. Expectations play a big role in how satisfied you are with a wine, I think. Based on the name Deep Purple and the wild label with words like “Monster Fruit”, “Exploding” and “Hedonistic”, I was expecting something much different. While it has plenty of fruit (if you don’t mind the candied sort), it’s not a big, bad, hedonistic experience. C/C-

Free association:

hippies-use-sidedoor

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremybrooks/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

More info:

Other reviews at Cork’d, Gabe’s View (via Bullz-eye.com) and Top Wine Values.