IS THERE VALUE IN SONOMA ZINFANDEL - Chris H’s home (4/29/2015)
Last night my tasting group met to taste Sonoma Zinfandels. The theme was made somewhere in Sonoma and available on our local shelves for $20 to $40. It was a good tasting, but I had hoped for more. Yes, I know the basic Carlisle and Bedrock can provide amazing wines at great value, but we were looking for more options. We found some nice wines, but nothing amazing. I listed the Ohio pricing where I can as Ohio has about the highest legally mandated pricing in the country. Most of these can be found for less. The other issue with Ohio is that we seem to lag behind on the recent releases. Our stores are filled with 10, especially 11 and some 12’s now. There were also a few extra bottles thrown in.
The wines were consumed blind over a couple of hours. The bottles were pop and pour and allowed to breather while we drank the white. Breads and cheeses were served.
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2013 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Gris Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Light golden in color. The nose has some pears and some minerality. Tart and reasonably crisp on the palate. There is a ripeness to this that makes it drink sweet with a thicker texture. I did not notice the abv, but I suspect it reasonably high. Probably dry, but has a perception of sweetness. This was served cold which I think really helped this to be refreshing. (87 pts.)
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2010 Carol Shelton Wines Zinfandel Rocky Reserve Florence Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Rockpile
Ruby in color, bright. The nose has cherries with a slight menthol note. Dusty on the palate. Needed a bit of air to open. Its a nice Zin. Ohio $37. (88 pts.) -
2008 Sbragia Family Zinfandel Gino’s Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
Not sure if this was a proper bottle or just has not aged well. It was disappointing though. Purple/brown in color. The nose has root beer, cherries and spice but also some raisins. Slightly drying tannins on the palate. Drinks more like a port than a table wine. The alcohol and the oak is obvious. Its drinkable but I wonder if this was heat damaged along the way. Bought from a relatively new store so it did not sit all this time on a store shelf. Maybe just too old? (85 pts.) -
2012 Michael-David Vineyards Zinfandel Earthquake - USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi
This has always been a favorite in these tastings for value and upfront fruit. While it did not fare as well this time, it still showed fine and for $27Ohio, there is some value here. Inky purple in color. The nose has raspberries, cherries, dust and vanilla. On the palate, the oak is more overt, but perhaps it settles with time. Lots of fruit although not as juicy as perhaps I would like. This is not Sonoma, but an extra bottle added in. (88 pts.) -
2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
This is blind tasting, but then you see the bottle and it makes some sense. Nevertheless, I write what I taste not where I think the wine is going. This bottle showed very little. Not bad, not good. Purple/ruby in color. There is very little nose, just a bit of dust. Hugely tannic on the palate, but also not much else. Knowing the wine (I previously scored it 92 from a bottle that the corked froze and pushed out on), it seems totally shut down. Going back to it later, it had opened but only slightly. Not corked or anything like that, just dumb. I don’t really think about Zin that way, but there it is. I will hold my remaining bottle for a while or give it plenty of air. (88 pts.) -
2012 Ridge Three Valleys - USA, California, Sonoma County
Purple/ruby in color. The nose has black cherries, dust, and bit of floral. On the palate, this has sweet jammy fruit; black cherries. Quite soft. Easy to drink. Enjoyable though. (88 pts.) -
2012 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Sonoma County - USA, California, Sonoma County
A very nice showing for this standard basic Zin. In fact, it was the groups WOTN which usually means no one hated it and most liked it. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is very tight. With air it shows raspberries, some vanilla and bramble. Sweet, slightly jammy fruit on the palate. Easy to drink but a bit more than that. $22Ohio. (89 pts.) -
2004 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel Lone Redwood - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
I put this in as an extra bottle to have an aged Zin. There aren’t many that age but Swan and Ridge are two that I have in the cellar. This did not show well, but I am not sure if it was the age or what. It was mine and the groups last place wine. Purple/ruby in color. The nose shows cherries and menthol but also a candied quality. On the palate, sour cherries and very tart. It is disjointed at this stage. Not sure what is going on here. Oh well, it happens. (83 pts.) -
2011 Neyers Zinfandel Del Barba - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa County
Purple/ruby in color. The nose has cherries, vanilla and spice. On the palate, juicy cherries. Not super ripe but with a bit of complexity. Nice texture. $26 Ohio, there is some value here. BTW, it seems neither Dan nor the retailer who sold it to him knew that Contra Costa County was not in Sonoma County. (89 pts.) -
2012 Ravenswood Zinfandel Teldeschi - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
I had not had a single vineyard Zin from them in a while. This was very nice. $25 Ohio. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has sour cherries, bramble and some spice. Juicy cherries on the palate. There is some nice depth to this. Very nice. (90 pts.) -
2010 Valley of the Moon Zinfandel - USA, California, Sonoma County
Well, I liked this more than the group who mostly panned it. Purple/violet in color. The nose has black raspberries and bramble. On the palate, this is lush with big raspberry fruit. Ripe but not jammy. The group found this very ripe (which is true). At $18 Ohio, and for immediate drinking, this was the best value to me. I found it lush but on a medium bodied frame with lots of fruit and easy to drink. No tannins to speak of. Decent acidity. (90 pts.)
Its always interesting to taste blind.
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