Fine Wines : Zinfandel

From the winery, "Head-trained, dry farmed old vines are again the source for Bogle–s Old Vine Zinfandel. These gnarly old vines produce concentrated fruit of unsurpassed quality and intensity. This supple and mouth-filling vintage leads with juicy blueberry and ripe blackberry fruit. Black pepper and hints of chocolate notes integrate well with this soft, plush body. Subtle hints of spicy oak and pipe tobacco create structure, allowing this wine to stand up to a variety of fare. This is the perfect wine to pair with everything from rich sauces and unique dishes, to your favorite weeknight take-out."

WA 90pts. - Tasting Notes - It is a nice looking wine, showing dark ruby-red color to the edge of the glass. In the Chateau Montelena tradition, this is an elegant, restrained, claret style Zinfandel. On the nose it has opulent, spicy black cherry varietal character, appealing briar and smoke overtones, and a layered, elegant structure. The palate is nicely balanced, with a bit of pepper and briar, and a refined texture. Overall this wine is tasty and fresh, offering bright fruit in a well balanced, suave package.

The finished wine is rich and highly extracted, but nicely balanced. Greg Norman's Lake County Zinfandel tastes of intense blackberry liqueur and ripe raspberry with a subtle jammy component. It is framed by hints of briar and peppery spice, and brings a long, elegant finish.

The wine is immediately approachable with lively raspberry and black cherry fruit. Dancing Bull Zinfandel has hints of black pepper and soft, supple tannins.

If you set out to create a classic California Zinfandel, you couldn't do better than this wine ‎ probably Ravenswood's single best-known bottling. Made with grapes from every traditional Zin-growing area in the state, it's redolent with the varietal's trademark raspberry-and-spice character, backed by enough oak to lend it presence and sufficient structure to give it backbone. In especially ripe years, blackberries and black cherries tend to come forward, while cooler vintages show more charming red-fruit character. It isn't any mystery that this wine is so popular: rich, full, somewhat soft and altogether delicious, it's terrific with all kinds of food. The secret, rather, lies within Joel's tastebuds, which confer a crowd-pleasing knockout every year.

Rombauer Vineyards' 2004 Zinfandel captures the essence of California Zinfandel with this ripe, fruit driven wine. It is filled with aromas of boysenberries, raspberries and wild berries. The wine is loaded with flavors of ripe, zesty wild berry and blackberry jam that picks up spicy, peppery notes. It finishes with a fantastic burst of fruit and concentrated berry flavors. Drink now or let age for 2-4 years.