Covenant Landsman Lodi Zinfandel 2011

I just received my shipment from the Landsman club. Has anyone tasted this wine yet? Is it something worth tasting this weekend or is it too young?

Ditto!

Although I don't always do this, this time I followed Jeff Morgan's advice strictly, since it is his wine, and immediately opened a bottle. It is definitely is not too early to drink. In fact, I believe that this wine as well as the Landsman Pinot are not meant for long term aging, but rather are meant to be enjoyed upon release.

The body of the Zin is dark and medium to full, leaning to full. The nose is not terribly aromatic, although there is absolutely nothing unpleasant about it. The wine is definitely on the sweet side; I even pick up notes of milk chocolate. I suspect that this is characteristic of a Zin, at least insofar as the fruitiness goes.

I am on my second day with this wine. It is very enjoyable. And I think it is a job well done for the Morgans. It is probably one of the better kosher Zins on the market. That is is from Napa makes it unique from a terroir perspective.

As with the pinot, one must be very careful to pair this particular wine with the right foods. I think the ideal pairing would be a meat dish that is slightly sweet or tangy, such as lamb tangine (which is often made with stewed dates). Have enjoyed this wine this weekend with my wife's stuffed grape leaves and cabbage (with a sauce of sted tomatoes, onions, olive oil and lemon).

I would encourage everyone to open their bottles ASAP and post their impressions!

Adam and Isaac: Weren't you concerned with travel shock since you just received your cases shipped from California, still a 6 hour flight?

Not in the slightest. There are no signs of travel shock with my wine. Travel shock and "dumb periods" were always curious to me.....

Adam and Isaac: Weren't you concerned with travel shock since you just received your cases shipped from California, still a 6 hour flight?

Rogov used to say that travel shock doesn't set it until the day after the wine reaches its destination, i.e. you could drink on day of arrival.

Rec'd mine Wednesday, enjoyed Shabbat and today. No shock.

Bottle shock Is discussed widely on the web. Here is an example:
http://www.winespectator.com/drvinny/show/id/44883

It makes sense to me that older wine carrying sediment is more prone to travel shock, particularly where bottle shaking is involved.

This new Landsman Zin is the farthest thing from an old, sentiment-filled wine...

Same, didn't think it would be much of a problem with a young wine travelling via ground shipping and it wasn't as my TN on the weekend posts shows.

My experience is not consistent with most tasting notes. Maybe it is me, or with the food pairing. We had this with burgers and ground turkey tacos, though I always thought that zins go well with spicy food.
I found the wine to have very ripe fruit which got in the way with enjoying the rest of it.

Sam

Funny. The one bottle I opened of this I found to be somewhat restrained for a zin. I liked it but did not feel it was in a highly extracted style. It struck me as a wine that if tasted blind, I would not immediately pick out as a zin. I do look forward to the next bottle.