Larry, since you started this thread with a shot of Old Hill Ranch I went to the cellar and pulled one for my first note. Popped one last year with less than stellar results. Was pleasantly surprised this evening. Thanks for your donations my friend! You too Mike and Steve!
1986 Ravenswood Zinfandel Old Hill- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (11/30/2017)
Pours brick red with a brownish hue, been open for an hour and the initial maderized nose has transformed to cherry and strawberry hard candy and leather with soft red fruit up front. This is really surprising with medium weight and texture. Still fairly grippy tannins and balancing acid with sweet red fruit pulling through the finish. Fabulous for what it is, a 31yr old Zinfandel. Sad that it will probably be a bottle of vinegar in a few hours. Fun journey though.
Not sure this will qualify: 2015 Bucklin Grenache. 50% old vine, but the young vine is at least planted to the same old fashioned principles, and that too is worth preserving.
This is one sexy wine and the rare CA Grenache that delivers a classic profile of cherries, raspberries, and boysenberries. Smoky aromas bright ruby color that veers toward dark at the center. Bright lively palate that lingers. Probably one of my fav new world Grenache wines, but there are some elegant Aussie versions in the competition.
Will pop some more OV stuff if I have any
Ha, I’m holding that same exact bottle in my left hand in the above photo. Already opened and Dava had some with dinner. I’ll post my impressions tomorrow but I don’t think it qualifires for the donations since it’s a duplicate.
“flavourful” aromatics of sweeter berry and plum fruit. There are glints of herbs and bramble on the palate, but most of it is well-secured aromatic replays. Solid if not ultra-awesome Zin. This runs C$37 and up here is again, about the right price.
I’ll follow David’s Limerick Lane contribution with one of my own:
2014 Limerick Lane Zinfandel Block 1910- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (12/1/2017)
Dark ruby color, blackberry nose. Palate is primarily fruit driven, tart blackberry, some blood orange in the background, and then it all slams into a wall of tannin. Needs a lot of air and swirling to release some cinnamon/cola spices. There’s a lot of stuffing here, but it’s structured for the long haul. Needs time.
Wellington Vineyards 2010 Estate Zinfandel
Dark purple. Nose on pnp is all dust and blackberry with an occasional whiff of alcohol. Some baking spices as well. Palate is surprisingly tannic at first impression. Tart blackberries and raspberries, clove, and evolves into a bright and earthy finish that goes on quite a while. There’s also something savoury going on that I can’t put my finger on, and a hint of green on the finish.
Holy mouthfull of zin goodness Batman! This is no shy flower, but good Lord is it tasty. Really big/fruit forward notes of raspberry pie, cranberry sauce, and spice. Although less than a typical Bedrock, enough acidity to keep this from going overboard…but AFWE crowd should definitely not apply. A bit of an outlier for Bedrock stylistically, but that being said, it’s an absolutely delicious bottle of wine and one I’m enjoying immensely. Drink now. Like…right now.
2014 Turley Fredericks Vineyard. About every teen years I get on the Turley list for about 3 years until I get tired of the next new style. Actually people loved the wine at our local nice restaurant but to me it somehow felt like it was going downhill and the first sip was the best. That sip was bursting with boysenberries and a lingering licorice taste that was enticing.
I’ll have to find a Carlisle for tomorrow and I have Bedrock or two from ‘09 (Oh Boy) and ‘10 (Papa’s) that I’m contemplating for next week.
I never can find much information on the wines from this old vineyard site’s wines, despite the fact that it’s basically next door to the Pagani Vineyard in the Sonoma Valley.
2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (12/2/2017)
Ruby with some bricking. Cranberry, orange zest, saddle leather on the nose. Seems more advanced than I’d expect for a 6-year-old Monte Rosso. Palate has red fruits, some heat, strong acidity. Seems like this is slipping into its middle-ages. I’ve enjoyed 2011 in its youth but I’d say this isn’t one for the long haul, and probably drink up.
I’m pretty much wirh you on this one buddy. Note from May of this year below. Don’t see much upside. Drink em if you got an.
‘Overall, i’d say this was a ‘good’ wine. Not great, and honestly, pretty below average for Bedrock standards. Best part about it was the nose. I was actually pretty pumped about the wine when I first stuck my nose in the glass, as the aromatics were awesome. Huge dusty blue fruits (‘dusty’ is my best descriptor for strong single vineyard BR wines as they all share that similar trait to me) and cranberry. Really good stuff on the nose. Unfortunately, that was easily the best part about the wine.
On the palate it was kinda weak, with light raspberry, some heat, a fairly hollow mid-pallet, and a severely clipped finish. I know that makes the wine sound horrible, which is definitely was not…but it’s not up to the standards I expect from a single vineyard BR wine, and especially from an iconic vineyard like Monte Rosso. I’ll chalk it up to a ‘difficult’ vintage and will drink my last bottle soon, as I don’t see any upside here.’
Ha! We’re all on the same page here boys as I had the 12 Carlsisle Papera in my hand but called a last minute audible and switched to the 12 Pagani. My note also coming up…
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