{"id":65,"date":"2010-05-11T16:40:41","date_gmt":"2010-05-11T16:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=65"},"modified":"2010-05-12T18:17:18","modified_gmt":"2010-05-12T18:17:18","slug":"zinfandels-for-grilling-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=65","title":{"rendered":"Zinfandels For Grilling Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ZinfandelWe covered a ton of Zins<\/strong> over the last 4 months and several of them scored in the 90+ point<\/strong> range.\u00c2\u00a0 We will highlight these gems below.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 There are also several others wines that pulled down Very Good scores.\u00c2\u00a0 You should check them out as well.\u00c2\u00a0 We will highlight the 90-pointers in this report- just in time for grilling season!<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 The first half of the report focuses on Zins where more than 80% of the wine was made with Zinfandel<\/strong> grapes.\u00c2\u00a0 All wines with less than 80% Zin are highlighted in the Zin blend section at the bottom of this report.\u00c2\u00a0 Don't miss these wines as there are a few of gems!<\/p>\n

\"Peachy-Canyon-2007-Especial-Zinfandel\"The first Zin rocked our tasting panel and took first place at our big blind tasting.\u00c2\u00a0 What was the winner?\u00c2\u00a0 It was the 2007 Peachy Canyon “Especial” Zin<\/a><\/strong> for $40<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 This 100% Zin received 93 points<\/strong> from the panel.\u00c2\u00a0 It opens with a fragrant black-cherry bouquet with notes of chocolate and a hint of blueberry. The panel loved its nice balance and very smooth mouthfeel.\u00c2\u00a0 A couple of panelists described it as velvety.\u00c2\u00a0 The flavor profile was a tasty blueberry with milk chocolate and boysenberry mixed in.\u00c2\u00a0 Yum!\u00c2\u00a0 The pairing suggested for this terrific Zin\u00c2\u00a0is a pan-seared ribeye or a veal chop.<\/p>\n

Believe it or not, the next best Zin came from the same family.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2008 Chronic Cellars “Dead Nuts” Zin<\/strong><\/a> also received 93 points<\/strong> from me at this year's Boston Wine Expo.\u00c2\u00a0 This Zin is an absolute steal for $20<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 This dark ruby-colored Zin opens with a fragrant blueberry bouquet with a hint of cherry vanilla.\u00c2\u00a0 Like the Especial, this wine is extremely well balanced, smooth, and elegant.\u00c2\u00a0 We loved the delicious ripe boysenberry flavors with a touch of ripe blackberry and black pepper mixed in.\u00c2\u00a0 It would pair very well with a filet at your favorite steakhouse.\u00c2\u00a0 It would also make a great glass pour!<\/p>\n

\"Four-Vines-2007-Sophisticate-Zinfandel\"The next offering was so good it is gone, or at least in Massachusetts.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 Four Vines “Sophisticate” Zin<\/a><\/strong> for $25<\/strong> finished in second place in our Big Blind Zin tasting<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 It was awarded 92 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 Like the wines above, this Zin is well balanced, smooth, and silky with very tasty boysenberry flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 There was a hint of black cherry and a touch of oak mixed in as well.\u00c2\u00a0 This is another option that would pair well with filet mignon.\u00c2\u00a0 Another panelist suggested trying it with a sesame encrusted tuna steak.<\/p>\n

\"Carol-Shelton-2006-Karma-Zinfandel\"Next up are two gems from one of my favorite Zinfandel producers, Carol Shelton<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2006 “Karma” Zin<\/a><\/strong> from the Rue Vineyard in the Russian River Valley was showing very well when I tried it.\u00c2\u00a0 I scored this Zin 92 points<\/strong> and its costs $33.<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 This offering was nicely balanced and very fruit forward.\u00c2\u00a0 It displayed tasty red-raspberry flavors with notes of blackberry and hints of black pepper.\u00c2\u00a0 It did have some noticeable tannins that lingered for quite some time.\u00c2\u00a0 Decant this impressive Zin and serve it with duck or venison.\u00c2\u00a0 Next up was the 2006 “Wild Thing”<\/a><\/strong> from the Cox Vineyard for $28<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 This beauty also received 92 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 This Zin was full-bodied, very smooth, and nicely balanced.\u00c2\u00a0 It displayed delicious lush spicy blueberry flavors with a touch of black currant and blackberry in the background.\u00c2\u00a0 It was yummy.\u00c2\u00a0 It has very well controlled tannins that make it very food-friendly as well.\u00c2\u00a0 I would pair it with pepper encrusted pork tenderloin.<\/p>\n

\"Quivira-2007-West-Creek-Ranch-Zinfandel\"Next up was our third place finisher in the Big Blind tasting.\u00c2\u00a0 It was the 2007 Quivira “West Creek Ranch” Zinfandel<\/a><\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 In addition to its impressive 91 points<\/strong>, the panel loved the fact that this Zin was Organic.\u00c2\u00a0 There was not much of this wine made, but if you can find some, it will be well worth its $34<\/strong> price tag.\u00c2\u00a0 It was medium-bodied, balanced, and savory with plum and black raspberry flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel also detected a hint of oak and chocolate as well.\u00c2\u00a0 The pairing suggestion was one of our favorites,\u00c2\u00a0fig spread and Great Hill blue cheese on a sliced baguette.\u00c2\u00a0 Now that is a can't miss combo!<\/p>\n

\"Sineann-2008-Old-Vine-Zinfandel\"The next offering is from a new producer for me.\u00c2\u00a0 I met Peter Rosback from Sineann at a tasting in downtown Boston.\u00c2\u00a0 His entire portfolio is quite impressive, but what I found particularly interesting was the fact that he made an “Old Vine” Zinfandel<\/a><\/strong> from Oregon.\u00c2\u00a0 Peter told me the Zin grapes used in this wine come from the oldest vines in North America.\u00c2\u00a0 That was impressive, but more importantly so was the wine.\u00c2\u00a0 I awarded it with 91 points<\/strong> and it costs $39<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 It shows excellent balance and is so smooth.\u00c2\u00a0 It displayed very enjoyable dark berry fruit flavors with notes of black cherry.\u00c2\u00a0 I think this might be the first Oregon Zin that I remember recommending.\u00c2\u00a0 I would pair this food-friendly Zin with roasted chicken smothered in a reduced cherry amaretto sauce.<\/p>\n

About now, you might be asking yourself, where are the Zins for grilling season and barbecue dishes?\u00c2\u00a0 Well stay tuned, but here is one that would be perfect for big rack of barbecue pork ribs.\u00c2\u00a0 It is the 2006 Bradford Mountain “Grist Vineyard” Zinfandel<\/a><\/strong> from the Dry Creek Valley.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 This wine costs $33<\/strong> and also received 91 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 It was the best Zin from our final flight in the last mini-tasting.\u00c2\u00a0 This offering is very fruit forward and very juicy with ripe black raspberry flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 There was also a touch of black pepper and oak mixed in as well. Its big tannins are sticky, and it\u00c2\u00a0might warrant some decanting in the short run, but it is very drinkable now with those barbecue ribs!<\/p>\n

\"Ravenswood-2007-Belloni-Zinfandel\"The next 2 offerings are our favorites from Ravenswood<\/strong> this year.\u00c2\u00a0 Both received 91 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 “Belloni” Zinfandel<\/a><\/strong> for $35<\/strong> was medium-bodied and very polished.\u00c2\u00a0 It has gentle black raspberry flavors with hints of blueberry, oak, and a dash of pepper.\u00c2\u00a0 Its huge dusty tannins will get your attention, which makes it perfect for pot roast.\u00c2\u00a0 I also liked the 2007 “Dickerson”<\/a><\/strong> from the Napa Valley.\u00c2\u00a0 We tried this one early on in one of our first mini flights.\u00c2\u00a0 What caught our attention was the quick determination that this wine needs fat in the near term.\u00c2\u00a0 So pair it with marbled meat.\u00c2\u00a0 Its mild black raspberry flavors with a hint of plum and oak were quite tasty.\u00c2\u00a0 This one had moderate tannins that build up and stick with you for sometime.\u00c2\u00a0 So slow cook some beef brisket and enjoy it with the Dickerson.<\/p>\n

Four Vines<\/strong> checks back in with another winner.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 “Martinelli Vineyard” Zin<\/strong><\/a> from Paso Robles received 91 points<\/strong> from the mini-group that tried this intriguing Zin.\u00c2\u00a0 Why intriguing?\u00c2\u00a0 We were enamored by its terrific balance and delicious flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 There were notes of red currant, cranberry, boysenberry, oak and molasses all blended into this beauty.\u00c2\u00a0 With\u00c2\u00a0 flavor profiles like that, we felt it warranted the intriguing moniker upon it.\u00c2\u00a0 It would be perfect with meat lasagna.<\/p>\n

This next 91-pointer<\/strong> comes from a producer who I had never heard of prior to this winter.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 Dogwood Cellars Zinfandel<\/a><\/strong> from Mendocino really caught my attention.\u00c2\u00a0 For $28<\/strong>, this Zin is a heck of a wine.\u00c2\u00a0 I thought it was text book in terms of delivering classic Zinfandel fruit flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 It was full-bodied, balanced, and very juicy with very tasty and lush black raspberry flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 There was also the classic dash of black pepper added in as well.\u00c2\u00a0 Like the Martinelli, it would also be perfect with meat lasagna.<\/p>\n

\"Novy-2007-Russian-River-Zinfandel\"The next set of Zins all received 90 points<\/strong> from me or the panel.\u00c2\u00a0 I'll give you a little tease on the review to get your mouth watering.\u00c2\u00a0 The first wine to mention stood out in its mini-flight and is also a great deal.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 Novy “Russian River Valley” Zinfandel<\/strong> <\/a>for $19<\/strong> was most noted for its fruit forward style and tasty black raspberry and plum flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 Next, Chronic Cellars<\/strong> returned to the winners circle with its 2007 \u201cPurple Paradise\u201d\u009d which is a blend of 95% Zinfandel & 5% Petite Sirah.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine’s palate coating texture and yummy blend of black raspberry and blueberry flavors with a hint of milk chocolate will definitely keep you coming back for more.<\/p>\n

The next two Zins come from Four Vines<\/strong> and as you might imagine they are Very Good.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 Four Vines “Maverick”<\/strong><\/a> from Amador County reports in with a strong presence.\u00c2\u00a0 Its fruit-forward style along with very tasty black raspberry flavors make it perfect for tangy pulled pork sandwiches.\u00c2\u00a0 Right on its heels is the 2007 “Dusi Vineyard” Zin<\/a><\/strong> for $35<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine is very limited in production with only 336 cases<\/strong> produced.\u00c2\u00a0 It was one of the more highly regarded wines in our recent big blind tasting.\u00c2\u00a0 The panelists enjoyed it’s fruit forward and savory style.\u00c2\u00a0 The flavor profile was a very tasty black cherry with notes of vanilla oak and milk chocolate.\u00c2\u00a0 They felt it would match well with veal marsala.<\/p>\n

\"Rosenblum-2007-Rockpile-Road-Zinfandel\"This next Zin always seems to end up towards the top of the pile every year.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 Rosenblum “Rockpile Road Vineyard” Zinfandel<\/a><\/strong> for $35<\/strong> is a winner again.\u00c2\u00a0 This vintage showed off a unique smoky oak-infused black raspberry flavor profile.\u00c2\u00a0 Throw in some notes of black pepper and you have a Zin that would be a great match with seasoned pork tenderloin or a veal chop.\u00c2\u00a0 Our last 90-pointer<\/strong> is from a “who’s that winery?”\u00c2\u00a0 The 2005 Chiarito Vineyard “Estate Bottled” Zinfandel<\/a><\/strong> for $35<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0hails from Mendocino, CA.\u00c2\u00a0 There were only 450 cases of this wine made.\u00c2\u00a0 It is showing very nicely right now.\u00c2\u00a0 So if you can find a bottle, buy it and open it up right away.\u00c2\u00a0 You will be rewarded by its very concentrated and jammy black raspberry flavors with notes of oak, rhubarb, and black pepper blended in.\u00c2\u00a0 Prepare a messy stack of barbecue braised short ribs and enjoy.<\/p>\n

The following Zins are best of the rest.\u00c2\u00a0 They are all Very Good<\/strong> wines and received scores ranging from 87 points<\/strong> all the way up to 89 points<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1) Ravenswood 2007 Zinfandel “Big River”<\/a><\/strong> (Alex Valley, CA) $35<\/strong> (89<\/strong>)
\n2) Ravenswood 2007 Zinfandel “Barricia”<\/a><\/strong> (Sonoma Valley, CA) $35<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(89<\/strong>)
\n3) Dashe 2007 Zinfandel “Todd Brothers Ranch”<\/a><\/strong> (Alex Valley, CA) $32<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(89<\/strong>)
\n4) Peju 2006 Zinfandel “Napa”<\/a><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(CA) $28<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(89<\/strong>)
\n5) Rosenblum 2006 Zinfandel “Snows Lake Vineyard”<\/a><\/strong> (Lake County) $35<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(89<\/strong>)
\n6) Kuleto 2007 Zinfandel “Napa Valley”<\/a><\/strong> (CA) $40<\/strong> (89<\/strong>)
\n7) Peachy Canyon 2007 Zinfandel “Mustard Creek”<\/a><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 (Paso Robles, CA) $36<\/strong> (89<\/strong>)
\n8) Terra d'Oro 2007 Zinfandel “Home Vineyard”<\/strong><\/a> (Amador, CA) $30<\/strong> (89<\/strong>)
\n9) Michael David 2007 Zinfandel “Earthquake”<\/a><\/strong> (Lodi, CA) $28<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(89<\/strong>)
\n10) Peachy Canyon 2007 Zinfandel “Mustang Springs”<\/a><\/strong> (Paso Robles) $36<\/strong> (89<\/strong>)
\n11) Dry Creek 2007 Zinfandel “Heritage”<\/a><\/strong> (Sonoma County, CA) $18<\/strong> (89<\/strong>)
\n12) Dashe 2007 Zinfandel “Florence Vineyard”<\/a><\/strong> (Dry Creek Valley, CA) $32<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(88<\/strong>)
\n13) Bradford Mountain 2006 Zinfandel “Dry Creek Valley”<\/a><\/strong> (CA) $22<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(88<\/strong>)
\n14) Kendall Jackson 2007 Zinfandel “Vintners Reserve”<\/a><\/strong> (CA) $16<\/strong> (88<\/strong>)
\n15) Peachy Canyon 2007 Zinfandel “Westside”<\/a><\/strong> (Paso Robles, CA) $19<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(88<\/strong>)
\n16) Rancho Zabaco 2007 “Hertitage Vines”<\/a><\/strong> (Sonoma County, CA) $18<\/strong> (88<\/strong>)
\n17) Ridge 2007 Zinfandel “Pagani Ranch”<\/strong> <\/a>(Sonoma Valley, CA) $35<\/strong> (88<\/strong>)
\n18) Cakebread 2007 Zinfandel “Red Hills”<\/a><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(Lake County, CA) $41<\/strong> (88<\/strong>)
\n19) Duckhorn 2008 Zinfandel “Decoy”<\/a><\/strong> (Napa Valley, CA) $22<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0(87<\/strong>)
\n20) Navarro 2006 Zinfandel “Mendocino”<\/a><\/strong> (CA) $19<\/strong> (87<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

Zin Blends<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"2007-Postmark-Howell-Mountain\"Our two best Zin blends come from the Duckhorn<\/strong> family of wines.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 “Postmark Howell Mountain”<\/a><\/strong> is made from 64% Zinfandel, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, & 3% Petite Verdot.\u00c2\u00a0 We awarded this gem 92 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 Postmark is a winery-exclusive wine.\u00c2\u00a0 You can purchase it at the Paraduxx Winery<\/strong> in Napa for $70<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 It is medium-bodied, well balanced, and very refined.\u00c2\u00a0 I loved its yummy black cherry flavors with notes of integrated blueberry and oak.\u00c2\u00a0 This is one of the few samples that I chose to finish by myself.\u00c2\u00a0 It is a wine that really shines with time and air.\u00c2\u00a0 It got better each day.\u00c2\u00a0 Staying in the family, the next best offering was the 2007 “Paraduxx”<\/a><\/strong> for $48<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 We scored this wine 90 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 It is made from 72% Zinfandel, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, & 1% Cabernet Franc.\u00c2\u00a0 It was the top scorer from its mini-blind flight.\u00c2\u00a0 I really appreciated how well balanced and approachable it was.\u00c2\u00a0 I also enjoyed its very tasty mild black cherry and blueberry flavors with notes of spice and oak mixed in.\u00c2\u00a0 It is very food-friendly and we thought it would pair very well with pork tenderloin.<\/p>\n

\"Ridge-2007-York-Creek-Zinfandel\"The next two blends come from another big name in the Zin business.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 Ridge “York Creek”<\/a><\/strong> for $30<\/strong> is made from 78% Zinfandel & 22% Petite Sirah.\u00c2\u00a0 It is not for the faint of heart.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead it will appeal to readers who really enjoy big hearty reds.\u00c2\u00a0 It opens with a nutty port-like bouquet.\u00c2\u00a0 It has nice palate presence and displays black currant flavors with notes of nutmeg, pepper, and soy mixed in.\u00c2\u00a0 This big boy was built for hearty beef stews.\u00c2\u00a0 So pull it out on a cold and rainy night.\u00c2\u00a0 Next up is Ridge’s everyday Zin blend.\u00c2\u00a0 It seems to be a crowd pleaser every year.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2007 “Three Valleys”<\/a><\/strong> for $22<\/strong> received 89 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 It is made from 76% Zinfandel, 8% Petite Sirah, 7% Syrah, & 6% Grenache.\u00c2\u00a0 It is nicely balanced and juicy with black cherry flavors and notes of light oak.\u00c2\u00a0 It is easy to drink and very foodfriendly.\u00c2\u00a0 I would pair this Zin blend with Theresa’s meatloaf.
\n\u00c2\u00a0
\nThe next blend is a wine that has developed a bit of a cult following.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2008 Orin Swift “The Prisoner”<\/a><\/strong> received 89 points<\/strong> from the panel.\u00c2\u00a0 This year's version is a little bit less structured than previous vintages.\u00c2\u00a0 However, it is nicely balanced and very approachable.\u00c2\u00a0 Its flavor profile is black raspberry with notes of oak, chocolate and black cherry mixed in.\u00c2\u00a0 Its finish is very lengthy and sticks around for a while.\u00c2\u00a0 I tried this wine twice in the last 2 months and my notes are consistent.<\/p>\n

We'll close this report with another interesting blend from the boys at Chronic Cellars<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 Their 2008 “El Perfecto”<\/a><\/strong> is an interesting blend of 50% Zinfandel & 50% Tempranillo\u00c2\u00a0 I scored this wine 89 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 I was taken back by its fruit-forward flavors that burst in your mouth.\u00c2\u00a0 Those flavors were a lush and juicy blackberry and black raspberry blend.\u00c2\u00a0 Pair this fruit bomb with a big rack of barbecue ribs on the grill this summer.<\/p>\n

As you can see, this year was a very good year for Zin and Zin blends.\u00c2\u00a0 We hope you have as much fun going through them as we did.\u00c2\u00a0 So light up that grill and start drinking some Zin!.\u00c2\u00a0 Cheers, Ken<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We covered a ton of Zins over the last 4 months and several of them scored in the 90+ point range.\u00c2\u00a0 We will highlight these gems below.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 There are also several others wines that pulled down Very Good scores.\u00c2\u00a0 You should check them out as well.\u00c2\u00a0 We will highlight the 90-pointers in this report- just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,8,6,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kens-wine-guide-tasting-panel","category-wine-recommendations","category-wine-reviews","category-zinfandel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=65"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=65"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=65"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=65"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}