Lodi

Sandlands makes some of the best Chenin Blancs in America.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with minerality/crushed shells, some lemon and lanolin.  Light to medium bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, this young.  Vibrant.  The minerality continues thru but the lemon is more persistent.  Long finish.  Tasty.  This is nice on its own and should work well with all but the heaviest meat dishes.  It worked very well with Hunan food.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

This is a relatively new release.  It is an inexpensive ($14), easy to drink Chardonnay that is a great choice for parties and events.  Pale green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has hay, slight spice, slight grapefruit, and some green apple.  Medium bodied.  Low acidity.  On the palate, there is some minerality.  An interesting lanolin note, along with spice and slight butterscotch.  A bit more lime returns for the finish.  This is the kind of wine that works well with a diverse crowd.  It drinks well on its own.  Attractive packaging.  

As I said in a prior review. Sandlands makes my favorite US Chanin Blanc.  Light golden in color.  The nose is very nice  with wax, orange peel, minerals and slight lemon.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there is a nice depth.  The orange peel comes thru with a slight waxy note.  Good energy.  Nice balance.  Long finish.  This drank great on its own after a tasting of 12 different Lodi Zins.  It really cut thru and cleaned the palate and was delicious.  drink over the next seven to ten years.  This is one mailing list I highly recommend that you join.  

Nice to try this with a bit more age on it.  Purple in color with some dark brown mix, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is tight but opens to show some black raspberries, dust and just a touch of cider.  On the palate, this has prunes along with a bit of green tomatoes although it is much better than that sounds.  It probably should be drunk up.  This works on its own and would work with a meat based stew.  

I liked this (more than the people I was tasting with).  It is more claret styled than fruit filled.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has light cherry notes with a touch of smoke.  On the palate, a nice texture.  Tart and fresh cherries, slight pie filling.  Slight tannins.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This wine will do better with food.  Chili would work well.  Drink over the next few years.  

This is one of the consistently better Zinfandels from Lodi.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries and coffee along with a bit of an herbal streak.  Full bodied.  On the palate this has light tannins.  Nice black cherry fruit.  Maybe a bit of dates.  A bit of late heat on the finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with a steak or a burger off the grill.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is dusty with sour cherries.  On the palate, this has a nice texture, but the palate lacks.  There is a bit of a tomato paste note along with some cough syrup.  It seems a bit thinner on fruit though there is some cherry quality.  A bit of menthol/alcohol on the finish.  Others I drank this with liked it more than I.  Drink in the next few years. It might work better with some spicy chicken wings.  

At the time, this was made by Michael David winery.  They have since sold off this line.  It continues to be an excellent source of good value Zinfandel.  Ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has nice cherry fruit but with a touch of a chemical/glue nose.  On the palate, it is much nicer with cherries and chocolate.  It could use a touch more acidity but it drinks easily.  Nice on its own, this makes a nice wine for a large party.  Drink over the next few years.  

This was mildly corked but also seemed very long in the tooth.  Drink up if you have any.  

This is the top end of the Michael David lineup of Zinfandels.  15.5% abv.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, plums and black pepper. Medium bodied with medium tannins.  On the palate, black cherries becoming more cough syrup on the finish.  Overall a solid Zinfandel but there doesn't seem to be an upgrade over some of this wineries less expensive wines.  This should be consumed in the next five to eight years.  It will work well on its own and work great with a burger (or veggie burger) off the grill.