Beringer, California, California Collection, White Zinfandel 2008 You remember those hard candies, watermelon flavored?  Well here you have them in a glass, sweet and tart at the same time – very nice. 3 hours of skin contact provide the color. Based on previous vintages, the RS is about 3.5%. Vinted and bottled in St. Helena [...]

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Carol Shelton, Mendocino County, Rendezvous Rose 2008 The nose is vibrantly fruity, evocative of fresh raspberries and herbs. In the mouth it is dry and fruity, with a little warmth.  The RS adds some weight, filling our the wine and amplifying the fruitiness. The organically grown grapes are all Carignane sourced from the Cox Vineyeard. [...]

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Proprietor Mike Hengehold was on hand at ZAP today in San Francisco to showcase his Zin portfolio. He is sourcing fruit from vines that were planted in the Russian River long before I was born. The fruit hangs well into October yet achieves sugars of only 24 brix.
Why not higher? Well life can move slowly [...]

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Bodega Celdran, Sonoma County, Vinto Tinto, Reserva 2004
In the nose you’ll find read fruits and cedar with a bit of the sweet tobacco of Bordeaux. In the mouth the texture is supple, the fruit is ripe and an Old World sense of leather adds complexity – nice. The wine’s acidity is making my mouth water [...]

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Ottimino, Sonoma County, Zinfinity, Zinfandel 2006 The nose features vanilla and caramel, with a bit of black fruit, cocoa  and black pepper. In the mouth the fruit comes forward, a little jammy, in a light-bodied format, very supple and easy drinking. The fruit for this wine was sourced from vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, Alexander [...]

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Appellation St. Helena hosted a tasting on Tuesday to show off the wines of the AVA. We discussed the recent vintages and tasted 48 wines, with a strong emphasis on Cabernet Sauvignon. Below is a baker’s dozen, the stars of the tasting – great Cabernet but more, including Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. The post [...]

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Howell Mountain Vineyards, Napa Valley, Bear & Lion, Old Vine, Zinfandel 2006 The fruit in the nose has a very fresh grape juice quality with a note of blackberry liqueur. In the mouth the wine is jammy, soft and light with warmth underneath. Cellared and bottled in Napa 15.5% $25 at wine.com
Howell Mountain Vineyards

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Hart’s Desire, Russian River Valley, Ponzo Vineyard, Late Harvest, Zinfandel 2008 The nose features candied black fruit. In the mouth it is a blackberry jam, in a liquid form – with an acidic streak for balance – delicious. 7% RS after 35 degrees brix at harvest Bottled in Geyserville 14.2% $17.99 at Bottle Barn for [...]

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Clif Family Winery, California, The Climber, Red Wine 2006

This wine features a boatload of juicy fruit with the berries of Zin and the currants of Cab. The light body and soft texture make it drinkable immediately, perfect to imbibe while you’re warming up the barbecue.
The majority of the fruit was sourced from the Somerston [...]

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J. Keverson, Russian River Valley, Alton Lane Vineyard, Zinfandel 2007 The fruit is very bright in the nose and graced by a healthy dose of black pepper. In the mouth the fruit is framed by acidity. This is one of the great things about a number of Russian River Zins – acidity adding structure and [...]

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Terra d’Oro, Amador County, Deaver Vineyard, Zinfandel 2006 The nose features stewed fruits, raisins, caramel and brown spices. In the mouth the wine is warm, with sweet, pruny fruit. The vines were planted in 1881. P&B Plymouth 15.5% $30 at the winery Terra d’Oro Winery
Peachy Canyon, Paso Robles, Old School House, Zinfandel 2006 This elegant [...]

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Saucelito Canyon, Arroyo Grande Valley, Late Harvest, Zinfandel 2006 This wine is evolving prematurely, showing the uptake of oxygen in the nose. In the mouth, the sweet berries are still delicious. RS is 11%. GP&B in Arroyo Grande 15.6% $25 at th winery for a 375ml bottle
Saucelito Canyon

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Bogle Vineyards, California, Phantom 2006 Dark fruits and a bit of berry jam mark the nose with a hint of toffee. In the mouth, the fruits are surrounded by tannins that are ripe, with just a little grip to let you know they are there. The grapes behind this wine are 49% Petite Sirah, 49% [...]

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Michael & David, Lodi, 7 Deadly Zins, Old Vine Zinfandel 2007 This wine has been a consistent oak bomb on the soft and plush side. The current vintage is particularly on the mark, soft, light-bodied and very oaky – a sure crowd pleaser! The vines that produced this wine range in age from 25 – [...]

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Chateau Aux Arc, American, Dragonfly Red nv The nose speaks of sweet oak while in the mouth this wine is smooth and light with a little warmth. Some of the fruit came from the estate’s Dragonfly Ranch, supplemented by imports from outside of Arkansas: 90% Merlot from Mendocino County and 10% Zinfandel from Altus, seemingly [...]

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Rosenblum Cellars, Paso Robles, Richard Sauret Vineyards, Zinfandel 2006 There’s jammy fruit in the nose with notes of charred oak and an early sense of evolution. In the mouth the wine is peppery with vanilla and sweet milk chocolate. V&B in Alameda 14.7% $25 at the winery Rosenblum

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Easton, Fiddletown, Rinaldi Vineyard, Late Harvest, Zinfandel 2006 In the nose you’ll find baked red and black fruits. In the mouth the fruit really comes alive. There’s a gripping astringency on the palate and a conservative amount of residual sugar, just 40 grams per litre. Proprietors Bill and Jane Easton. 16% $17.49 for a 500ml [...]

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Edmeades, Redwood Valley, Piffero Vineyard, Zinfandel 2005 The fruit has taken on a sweet character, seemingly combining fresh and dried cherries. The wine fills out the entire palate with flavor in a supple way – delicious. P&B in Geyserville 15.5% $25.79 at Bottle Barn Edmeades

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Carol Shelton, Cucamonga Valley, Lopez Vineyard, Monga Zin, Old Vine, Zinfandel 2006 In the nose there is jammy fruit and earthy notes. In the mouth you’ll find a chewy Zin, with a touch of creaminess and the acidity to carry the flavor a long way. Carol travels down south and kicks off the production at [...]

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Lake County Wine Studio features the wines of the region on Main Street in the town of Upper Lake, just a stone’s throw from the end of Highway 29. We all know the congested bit of this highway where the cars crawl through St. Helena. Where it ends near Upper Lake is anything but. [...]

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Wilson Winery, Dry Creek Valley, Sawyer Vineyard, Zinfandel 2006 This wine just oozes with jammy berry pie and vanilla in the glass. In the mouth it is a supple and slightly warm expression of the same – yummy.
You might remember the big prizes that the Wilson’s have taken home from the Sonoma County Harvest Fair [...]

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Rosenblum Cellars, Contra Costa County, Planchon Vineyard, Zinfandel 2006 The smell is of candy and warmth, warm compote waiting on the sideboard. In the mouth, this is a very supple Zin, with ripe tannins and a bit of liquer-like character. The vines that gave us the grapes are head-pruned and over 100 years old. P&B [...]

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Haywood, Sonoma Valley, Los Chamizal Vineyard, Estate, Zinfandel 2006 The nose puts together many facets of Zin.  There’s pruniness, black pepper and a sense of Port. In the mouth, this is a structured Zin, supporting plenty of fruit and a long finish. Grown, produced and bottled in Sonoma 14.6% $30 at the winery Haywood Winery

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Annapolis Winery, Sonoma Coast, Zinfandel 2005 This is a very jammy Zin. Proprietors are the Scalabrini family. P&B in Annapolis 16.6% $26 at the winery Annapolis Winery

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Dashe, Dry Creek Valley, Late Harvest Zinfandel 2007 Candied berries in a glass, leaping out to greet your nose! The mouth repeats this theme in a very luscious, super-fruity way – brilliant. The grapes measured 40 degrees brix at harvest and the final wine has 9% RS. P&B in Oakland 14.1% $20.49 at Bottle Barn [...]

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Amphora, Dry Creek Valley, Zinfandel 2006 There’s a healthy dose of black pepper in the nose along with jammy fruit. This Zin is very polished in the mouth, very dense and full of fruit. P&B by Hutchinson Wines in Healdsburg 15.4% $26 at the winery Amphora Wines

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Stryker Sonoma, Alexander Valley, Estate, Old Vines, Zinfandel 2006 The fruits are, fresh, stewed and jammy, all at the same time and dusted with black pepper. The mouth is vibrantly fruity with a little warmth and a touch of tannin. P&B in Geyserville 15.2% $26 at the winery for the previous vintage (the ‘06 is [...]

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Rosenblum Cellars, Sonoma Valley, Maggie’s Reserve Zinfandel 2005
This wine is very sweet smelling, with a sense of pastry dough dabbed with vanilla. The mouth is quite rich, full of sweet-appearing fruit – just luscious. Some of the vines that gave us the grapes for this wine hail from 190. P&B in Alameda 14.8% $35.49 at [...]

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Elyse, Napa Valley, Morisoli Vineyard, Zinfandel 2006 Brown spices jump out in the nose while the mouth is supple and densely fruity. The grapes are sourced from Morisoli in Rutherford, west of Highway 29 at the base of Mount St. John. Cellared and bottled in Oakville 15.2% $26.49 at Bottle Barn Elyse

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Shenandoah Vineyards, Amador County, Special Reserve, Zinfandel 2007 This is an easy quaffer that delivers the fruit of Zin in a light-bodied format. The grapes were organicaly grown in California’s gold country. P&B in Plymouth 14.4% $7.99 at Bottle Barn
Shenandoah Vineyards

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