Last night, I assisted with a Zinfandel tasting at a local winestore downtown. 30 participants enjoyed 6/7 zins, with some meatballs in a BBQ sauce and assorted hard cheeses. The wines chosen for the event were all available in-store and were, I thought, an interesting selection for those who were not too familiar with this varietal. Four Vines "Maverick" came out on top closely followed by a Kunde that was definately old world style to some at the tasting. I was quite keen on the Primitivo (as usual) but this wine was not well received by a few at the event!! Went well with the cheese however and one of the best I have sampled recently.
Here is the line-up of wines tasted, in the order served.....................
`05 Alexander Valley Vineyards "Temptation" Zinfandel.
`04 Four Vines "Old Vine Cuvee" Zin, Paso Robles.
`03 Torcicoda Primitivo, Apulia, It.
`02 Limerick Lane "Collins Vineyard" Zin, Sonoma.
`04 Four Vines "Maverick" Zin, Amador Co.
`02 Kunde Estate "Century Vines" Zin, Sonoma.
`03 Cape Mentelle Zinfandel, Margaret River, Aust.
The Kunde is organic, vines over 100 yrs old! I thought quite oaky still with a shortish finish. Did not do much for me but some liked it a lot. The Oz wine I have posted on before here, very good wine but no fruit bomb! Deep colour, tarry nose, firm tannins and good structure. Need the tooth brush after this one!
I have always thought the Limerick Lane setup to be excellent. Their zins have always been very good in my estimation, and this was good. Blackberry, chocolate, pepper, good tannins. Did not fly off the shelf however! The "Maverick" was the winner here this evening....think some Syrah in here? Spicy, vanilla quality, raisiny. Nice long finish with blueberry tines, not bad for $25 Cdn! None left by the time I went home, cleard off the shelf.
Agh, the Primitivo. Well you either like this style or you cringe. One of the best I have come across lately, always on the lookout for this varietal. Darkist colour here, earthy, gum-coating tannins, good depth and structure. From Antinori, should be good eh?