Bonterra 2010 Mendocino County Zinfandel ($12.99)
Made with organic grapes from a winery and grapes certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), this is a very dark purple wine shading to a clear garnet edge. Classic Zin "bramble fruit" scents of raspberries and blackberries, good fruit but stops well short of "jammy" fruit, which to my mind is a good thing, as subtlety remains a plus in wine ... even Zinfandel. Juicy and bright on the palate, ripe and fresh mixed-berry fruit. Frankly, alcoholic warmth is present at its listed 14.5%, but this was one of the lower-alcohol wines on my local wine shop's shelf, with many bottles, even rather modest examples, coming in at 15.5%. (Oct. 10, 2013)
FOOD MATCH: Zins go well with simple, spicy fare, from chile con carne to a grilled burger or steak. This one went nicely with an aromatic mjadra, Palestinian lentils and basmati rice pilaf, a recipe from Louisville's Ramsi's Cafe on the World.
WHEN TO DRINK: I'd enjoy this one over the next year or so; there's debate over the ageworthiness of Zin, but this one is doing well now and will likely continue shedding its Zin fruit with time. Drink up.
VALUE: I'm 100 percent satisfied with this wine at this low-teens price. Wine-Searcher.com reports a $14 average U.S. retail.
WEB LINK:
Here's a fact sheet on Bonterra 2010 Zinfandel and an order form to buy it from the winery where the law permits.
http://shop.bonterra.com/product/Zinfan ... axRows=14&FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and compare prices for Bonterra Zinfandel on Wine-Searcher.com.
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