Rank: 1st Place (Tie) Rating: 93 Approximate Price: $29 Cutting: Our other first place wine is a powerhouse with strong plum, cocoa, black cherry, raspberry, chocolate and vanilla characteristics. The Rombauer Zinfandel is a powerhouse wine that tied for first place in our California Zinfandel tasting. This wine exhibits strong plum, cocoa, chocolate and black […]
Rank: 1stPlace (Tie) Rating: 91 Approximate Price: $38 Cutting: One of our first place wines is a terrific Zinfandel with cinnamon, blackberry, oak and coffee characteristics. The Turley Old Vines Zinfandel tied for first place in our California tasting. It has a wonderful nose of cinnamon, blackberry, oak and coffee aromas. The same characteristics appear […]
Rank: 3rd Place Rating: 90 Approximate Price: $14 Cutting: .An excellent value wine featuring plum, cherry, raspberry and cocoa or chocolate characteristics. Plum, cherry and raspberry aromas and flavors are evident in the XYZin 10 Year Old Vines Zinfandel. Additionally, strong cocoa or chocolate aromas and flavors are noticeable as is some cedar on the […]
Rank: 4th Place Rating: 87 Approximate Price: $9 Cutting: This very good value wine shows raspberry, cherry and spice characteristics. The Asti Winery Cellar No. 8 Zinfandel exhibits raspberry, blueberry, cassis and spice aromas. On the palate, tart cherry, raspberry, and spice flavors come through. This light textured wine is a very good value […]
Rank: 5th Place Rating: 85 Approximate Price: $15 Cutting: A pleasant wine with cherry, black cherry and pepper characteristics. The Victory Vineyards Parcel Thirty One Zinfandel features cherry, black cherry and pepper aromas and flavors. This is a pleasant light to medium bodied wine with a little bitterness on the short to medium finish. […]
California designated Zinfandels may not have the regional-specific pedigree of wines from Dry Creek Valley, Napa Valley, Paso Robles and other AVAs, but there are still some excellent wines and good values. Join us over the next several days as we review these five California Zinfandels: Asti Winery Cellar No. 8 Zinfandel California (2007) Rombauer […]
Rank: 1st Place (Tie) Rating: 89 Approximate Price: $18 Cutting: Chocolate, cherry, plum and licorice characteristics are featured in this juicy Zinfandel. The Joel Gott Zinfandel features terrific chocolate, cherry, plum and licorice aromas and flavors. This is a juicy medium bodied wine with some complexity. Some Zinfanatics observed berry, pepper and cedar notes. A […]
Rank: 1st Place (Tie) Rating: 88 Approximate Price: $10 Cutting: This first place (tie) wine featuring attractive raspberry, plum, licorice and spice characteristics is a great value. The Four Vines Old Vine Cuvee Zinfandel features attractive raspberry, plum, licorice and spice aromas and flavors. All of our Zinfanatics tasters enjoyed this medium bodied wine that […]
Rank: 3rd Place Rating: 83 Approximate Price: $12 Cutting: A light cherry and strawberry wine that will appeal to those who prefer simple light wines. Wingnut from Rebel Wine has light cherry and strawberry aromas and flavors. This is a light textured wine with a short finish. Zinfanatics who are fans of simple light wines […]
Rank: 4th Place Rating: 88 Approximate Price: $20 Cutting: Vanilla, coffee and black cherry characteristics are observed in this interesting medium bodied wine. The Turley Juvenile Zinfandel features interesting vanilla, coffee and black cherry aromas and flavors. This medium bodied wine has a nice long finish with some licorice and wood flavors. Some Zinfanatics observed […]
Rank: 5th Place Rating: 82 Approximate Price: $9 Cutting: A light wine with cherry and spice characteristics, but some yeasty, wet cardboard aromas were detected. The DeLoach Heritage Reserve Zinfandel has simple cherry and spice aromas and flavors, but also displays some unpleasant yeasty, wet cardboard aromas. This light textured, somewhat watery wine was ranked […]
Our next Zinfanatic tasting includes some famous wineries along with others that are less well known. Follow us in the coming days as we taste and review these wines with a “California” designation. 1. DeLoach Heritage Reserve Zinfandel California (2007) 2. Four Vines Old Vine Cuvee Zinfandel California (2007) 3. Joel Gott Zinfandel California (2007) […]
Rank: 1st Place Rating: 86 Approximate Price: $14 Cutting: The first place wine in our California Zinfandel tasting has plum, black cherry, cassis, spice and wood aromas and flavors along with tea, cola and licorice notes in the finish. Our first place wine in the California Zinfandel tasting exhibits plum, black cherry, cassis, spice and […]
Rank: 2nd Place Rating: 88 Approximate Price: $28 Cutting: A well-crafted wine featuring strong blueberry, chocolate, pepper and toasty oak characteristics and a nice long finish. Orin Swift’s Saldo Zinfandel is a well-crafted wine featuring strong blackberry, chocolate, pepper and toasty aromas and flavors accented by a nice long finish. Some tasters observed cassis, cherry […]
Rank: 3rd Place Rating: 85 Approximate Price: $10 Cutting: An enjoyable wine with back cherry, blackberry, plum, coffee and raisin characteristics. Black cherry, blackberry, plum, coffee and raisin aromas and flavors dominate the enjoyable Dancing Bull Winemaker’s Reserve Zinfandel from California. This medium-bodied wine has a medium to long finish featuring cola and tea notes. […]
Rank: 4th Place Rating: 82 Approximate Price: $11 Cutting: Earthy, vegetative notes detract from the cherry, pepper and spice characteristics in this wine. The Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel from California exhibits cherry, pepper, spice and vegetative aromas and flavors. Some Zinfanatics also described earthy, wet cardboard and yeasty characteristics in this medium textured wine. The […]
Rank: 5th Place Rating: 80 Approximate Price: $9 Cutting: A barely acceptable somewhat unpleasant wine featuring cherry and pepper characteristics. The Ravenswood Vintners’ Blend California Zinfandel is a barely acceptable wine featuring cherry and pepper aromas and flavors followed by an odd unpleasant finish with a bit of alcohol burn. Some Zinfanatics detected some cranberry […]
Zinfandel wines with the designation of “California” can include grapes from anywhere within the state. Therefore, it is hard to generalize about their characteristics. Wines labeled as “California” can range from spectacular to bland. Join us over the next few days as we taste and rank the following California Zinfandels: 1. Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel […]
