Wine Wednesday – California Old Vine Zinfandel

August 22nd, 2012

Two Zinfandels for Wine Wednesday.

 

Hmmm, not sure I’m a fan of Zinfandel.  However, I’m intrigued about the grape and wanted to see what I think about Zin.

We tried 2 Zinfandels, both old vine.

From the winery: http://manzanitacreek.com/

2007 Zinfandel Carreras Old Vine Dry Creek Valley
The 2007 Carreras Ranch Old Vine  Zinfandel is produced from the heart of the  Carreras vineyard. The grapes are tended to  by Rick Schluter, husband to Marci Carreras  Schluter. Rick is the consummate grape  grower, a haggler, a prophet and yes a poet.
This wine exhibits  Cabernet like structure,  big stature, deep color, and deep  concentrated fruit. Elegant iron fist in a  smooth velvet glove. Enjoy this  Classic  Jammy Dry Creek Zinfandel on its own or  pair with beef, lamb or pork.
Manzanita Creek Zinfandels are among the  finest wines produced.  We age our  Zinfandels in carefully chosen oak barrels for  18 to 32 months. Our attention to detail is  matchless.  (ABV 16.9%)

From the winery: http://www.woodenheadwine.com/

2006 Zinfandel, Martinelli Road Vineyard Old Vine, Russian River

History in a bottle. The venerable one, 124 years old this vintage. Not for everyone, but a classic Barolo like Zin that rivals any century vine Zins produced in California, period. Dark ruby in color. A nose of roses and violets framed by dark berries, plums, cedar and blackberry briar as only RRV can give. The palate screams blackberry, Bing cherry, dark chocolate and mocha notes. Unmistakable terroir. This is a special place for these vines. Not for the faint of heart. Expressive mid-palate and long, long finish. Moderate tannins. It will of course benefit from cellaring, but it’s delicious now.

Opinion: My jury’s still out on Zinfandel.  I enjoyed the Woodenhead Zin more than the Manzanita Creek — both of them were old vine and unfiltered.  Not knowing this, we didn’t have a decanting filter.  Sediment is not attractive.

The Manzanita Creek Zinfandel was an alcohol bomb at 17%!  It was well-liked by one of my co-workers.

I think the price of both wines was too high for my level of enjoyment.  Also think I have a few more bottles of each in my cellar ….. another tasting in my future?  Let’s see if time changes my opinion.

Any Zinfandel suggestions?

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