| Zinfandel Tasting Report |
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For our Zinfandel Tasting Report this month, we
sampled five zesty Zins with plenty of personality and
flair. Four from California, which is clearly the best
supplier of Zinfandel wines and one from the “Land
Down Under”, where woman glow and men plunder. Or
something like that, the eighties are a distant memory
for me! (Men at Work reference) Of the four from
California, we encompassed three different wine
making regions, two from Sonoma, one from Amador
County (a region south of Napa and Sonoma that
focuses a lot on Zinfandels) and Lodi, the capital of
Zinfandel grapes.
All of these wines had two things in common. They
were all uniquely individual in style and character as
well as being loaded with alcohol. In fact, they started
at 14% and went all the way up to 15.5%. I’m
recovering from a bit of a hangover myself as I write
this now! Aye! Needless to say, we had a lot fun
sampling these wines and our opinions and fondness for
the lot grew stronger as the night moved along!
In the end, it was 7 Deadly Zins, a wine from the Lodi,
California region that stood out amongst its peers with
its dazzling beauty. Perhaps even more impressive
though, was that the Australian “Kangarilla Road”
Zinfandel proved to be a formidable opponent to
California when it comes to making great Zinfandel
wines with a second place finish. The rest were all
pretty even. So take a look and see if any of them get
your mouth watering for a taste!
sampled five zesty Zins with plenty of personality and
flair. Four from California, which is clearly the best
supplier of Zinfandel wines and one from the “Land
Down Under”, where woman glow and men plunder. Or
something like that, the eighties are a distant memory
for me! (Men at Work reference) Of the four from
California, we encompassed three different wine
making regions, two from Sonoma, one from Amador
County (a region south of Napa and Sonoma that
focuses a lot on Zinfandels) and Lodi, the capital of
Zinfandel grapes.
All of these wines had two things in common. They
were all uniquely individual in style and character as
well as being loaded with alcohol. In fact, they started
at 14% and went all the way up to 15.5%. I’m
recovering from a bit of a hangover myself as I write
this now! Aye! Needless to say, we had a lot fun
sampling these wines and our opinions and fondness for
the lot grew stronger as the night moved along!
In the end, it was 7 Deadly Zins, a wine from the Lodi,
California region that stood out amongst its peers with
its dazzling beauty. Perhaps even more impressive
though, was that the Australian “Kangarilla Road”
Zinfandel proved to be a formidable opponent to
California when it comes to making great Zinfandel
wines with a second place finish. The rest were all
pretty even. So take a look and see if any of them get
your mouth watering for a taste!
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| Michael David Vineyard's, "7 Deadly Zins" Zinfandel 2002 Lodi, California |
Nose – Endless waves of spicy fruits like
Blackberry and Raspberry that invite you
to take a sip.
Taste – This wine is as thick and deep as
the dark purple color would initially imply.
There are endless amounts of blackberries
upfront, followed by peppery spice and a
little hint of chocolate on the finish.
This was clearly everyone’s favorite and as
it was served first, it set the bar a bit too
high for the other wines on our list to
compare to. This wine is a lot of fun to
drink and would be an ideal wine for any
barbecue or even a dish prepared in a
Mexican flair!
Blackberry and Raspberry that invite you
to take a sip.
Taste – This wine is as thick and deep as
the dark purple color would initially imply.
There are endless amounts of blackberries
upfront, followed by peppery spice and a
little hint of chocolate on the finish.
This was clearly everyone’s favorite and as
it was served first, it set the bar a bit too
high for the other wines on our list to
compare to. This wine is a lot of fun to
drink and would be an ideal wine for any
barbecue or even a dish prepared in a
Mexican flair!
| Score A- |
| About $19.00 |
| Kangarilla Road Zinfandel 2002 – Langhorne Creek, Australia |
Nose – Burnt toast, raspberries and a
strong presence of Shiraz-like pepper
aromas.
Taste – Earthier than other Zins with a
buttery texture, plenty of raspberry,
mushrooms and spicy black pepper.
Right from the first whiff of the nose, it was
clear that this Zin was not from California.
Australia has definitely put it’s stamp on
Zinfandel in it’s own very unique way. This
proved to be a welcomed change and a very
delicious one to boot! Dark meat Mexican
dishes, like Tamales, would be ideal with
this Zin as well as roast, steak or burgers.
strong presence of Shiraz-like pepper
aromas.
Taste – Earthier than other Zins with a
buttery texture, plenty of raspberry,
mushrooms and spicy black pepper.
Right from the first whiff of the nose, it was
clear that this Zin was not from California.
Australia has definitely put it’s stamp on
Zinfandel in it’s own very unique way. This
proved to be a welcomed change and a very
delicious one to boot! Dark meat Mexican
dishes, like Tamales, would be ideal with
this Zin as well as roast, steak or burgers.
| Around $15.00 |
| Score B |
| Montevina Zinfandel 2000 – Amador County, California |
Nose – Toasty oak with sweet dried fruit
like prunes and raisins.
Taste – Very hot (High in alcohol that is!)
and acidic. So much so, that it throws this
wine off-balance. The fruit is overpowered
by the acidity and alcohol, but it’s in there.
This wine is too high in alcohol to be
served with anything spicy. But that being
said, I think it would do some roasted
chicken or steak proud.
like prunes and raisins.
Taste – Very hot (High in alcohol that is!)
and acidic. So much so, that it throws this
wine off-balance. The fruit is overpowered
by the acidity and alcohol, but it’s in there.
This wine is too high in alcohol to be
served with anything spicy. But that being
said, I think it would do some roasted
chicken or steak proud.
| About $13.00 |
| Score B |
| Seghesio Zinfandel 2001 – Sonoma County, California |
Nose – Candied fruits give way to coffee
and vanilla from new oak barrels.
Taste – This wine is harmoniously
balanced with integrated wood tannins,
tangy acidity, and layers of blackberry,
plum and cocoa.
I really liked this one a lot more than the
rest of the tasting panel. The Seghesio
family has been making Zinfandel wines
since the 1800’s and they have some
fantastic Zins. This is not their top of the
line, but a very good Zin none-the-less.
With all of those tannins, it’s just begging
to be served with red meat.
and vanilla from new oak barrels.
Taste – This wine is harmoniously
balanced with integrated wood tannins,
tangy acidity, and layers of blackberry,
plum and cocoa.
I really liked this one a lot more than the
rest of the tasting panel. The Seghesio
family has been making Zinfandel wines
since the 1800’s and they have some
fantastic Zins. This is not their top of the
line, but a very good Zin none-the-less.
With all of those tannins, it’s just begging
to be served with red meat.
| Around $19.00 |
| Score B |
| Rancho Zabaco “Dry Creek Valley Reserve” Zinfandel 2000 – Sonoma, California |
Nose – Those familiar trademark
“Rancho” scents of blackberries and
black cherries.
Taste – A real fruit bomb that bursts with
an abundance of blackberries and black
cherries and fades ever so softly into a
wood framed finish.
This wine was very good, as is most of
Rancho Zabaco’s wines, but it did little to
stand out against the others. Instead, I
think it was too one-dimensional to be
brilliant like the 7 Deadly Zins. That
being said, it is an excellent food wine,
maybe the best on our tasting list, and
ideal for Mexican cuisine, a variety of
meats and a must for that backyard
barbecue!
“Rancho” scents of blackberries and
black cherries.
Taste – A real fruit bomb that bursts with
an abundance of blackberries and black
cherries and fades ever so softly into a
wood framed finish.
This wine was very good, as is most of
Rancho Zabaco’s wines, but it did little to
stand out against the others. Instead, I
think it was too one-dimensional to be
brilliant like the 7 Deadly Zins. That
being said, it is an excellent food wine,
maybe the best on our tasting list, and
ideal for Mexican cuisine, a variety of
meats and a must for that backyard
barbecue!
| Around $18.00 |
| Score B |
