This is the second release of the Orin Swift project now that Dave Phinney's non-compete with Prisoner Wine Company is over. It was nice to get a chance to try this. This is a very solid wine. Purple in color.
This is always a great value from Oregon/Washington producer Sineann. Peter Rossback makes a lot of a wide variety of wines. Once he is done, he makes a couple of different blends with the leftovers. The Abondante is the better of the two (the other is labelled Red Wine). This sells for around $22 and comes screw capped! This vintage is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet and Zinfandel. Deep ruby in color. The nose has cherries, black cherries, slight chocolate and char. On the palate, this is medium bodied. Drinking well right now. Light tannins. Good finish. This should drink well for
This is another of the bourbon barrel aged wines. While some wine nerds may scoff or even cringe at this trend, many consumers are buying and enjoying. This comes in attractive packaging with a clear bottle and an "old timey" label. It is a big wine that clocks in at 15.9% abv. After tasting the bottle, I served it to a group of friends and it proved popular. Is is a blend of Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep ruby in color. The nose is sweet with caramel and also black raspberries. On the palate, this has sweet black cherry fruit. Firm tannins that are slightly
Rafanelli followers are some of the most devoted in the Zin world, and rightly so. They make some of the best Zins. In style, the wines are middle of the road. They have a lot of fruit, but are not bombastic. They have an elegance but are not in a claret style. They also age nicely. This one is purple in color. The nose has raspberries, black raspberries, black cherries, slight bramble and spice. On the palate, this has a lot of energy. Good acidity. Plenty of black cherry fruit with a bit of raspberries over a char/smoke and spice. Medium bodied with a lovely texture. Good fini
Limerick lane is making some of the best Zinfandels. They are world class red wines. This is a big, intense Zinfandel at the moment that is delicious to drink. It should calm down for those who prefer more of a claret style. Deep ruby in color. The nose has black raspberries, blueberries, black pepper and char. On the palate, this has a lush texture. Juicy black raspberry fruit. Underlying char. Deep and complex. Long finish. This drinks great on its own or will work well with ribs or grilled meats.
One of the no brainer values in California wine. This year it carries a California (not Sonoma) designation. It is a blend from various vineyards of 85% Zinfandel and the rest Mataro, Grenache, Alicante Bouschet, Carignan, Petite Sirah and what grapes might also be growing in these field blends. It is delicious. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has black cherries, raspberries, smoke, roasted herbs and spice. On the palate, this has juicy acidity. Nice texture. Lots of red and some purple fruits. Light tannins. Good finish. This will likely improve a bit for a year or tw
This is a reasonably priced Zin. It is slightly sweet and on the lighter style of Zin so factor that into your buying decision. I quite enjoyed it. Drunk over two nights, it was better on Night 2. Deep ruby in color. The nose has cherries, spice and dust. On the palate, the cherries come thru. No tannins to speak of. Easy drinking. Slightly sweet/ripe. Nice finish.
Another great value from Cline. Deep ruby in color. The nose has cherries, raspberries, bramble and cedar. Medium bodied. Some depth and concentration. The cherries come thru to the palate along with some black cherries. Nice texture. Drinks well on its own right now but will work with pizza or pasta or burgers. This probably should be consumed in the next year or so.
Ulises Valvez was one of the great American success stories in the wine world. An immigrant to this country, he built his vineyard and winery into a top notch winery. Sadly, he passed away a couple of years ago at far too young of an age. His winery carries on. This is a Zinfandel blend that also has 17% Peite Sirah and 5% Grenache. The vineyard was originally planted in 1888 and hand farmed by Ulises Valdez since 1988. There are some very old vines. Purple in color. The nose has black cherries, some raspberries, a bit of spice and bramble. Nice texture. Juicy acidity. There is s
This is always one of the really good values in Zinfandel. It is consistently a solid wine in every vintage and this is no exception. A blend of 87% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah, 2% Carignane, 1% Syrah and 1% mixed reds. Purple in color. The nose has black cherries, sandalwood and slight bramble. On the palate, this is medium bodied. Cherries and black cherries. Slight tannins. Easy drinking. This will work great with burgers or pizza. It should be drunk in the next three to five years.
