Zinfanatic

Rank:  1st Place Rating:  96 Approximate Price:  $50 Cutting:  Our first place wine is a magnificent effort with complex smoky black cherry, blackberry, vanilla, spice, licorice and lather characteristics.   The Turley Mead Ranch Zinfandel from Atlas Peak is a nearly unanimous selection as our top ranked wine in the Napa Valley tasting.  It shows […]

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Rank:  2nd  Place (tie) Rating:  93 Approximate Price:  $30 Cutting:  A big complex Zinfandel featuring intense blackberry, black cherry, licorice and coffee characteristics.   The Ballantine Block 9 Reserve Zinfandel from Napa Valley features intense blackberry, black cherry, licorice and coffee aromas and flavors.  This is a complex wine that adds spice and oak characteristics […]

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Rank:  2nd Place (tie) Rating:  91 Approximate Price:  $55 Cutting:  A wine featuring intense chocolate, currant, spice and blackberry characteristics.   The Turley Dragon Vineyard Zinfandel from Howell Mountain features intense chocolate, currant, spice and blackberry aromas.  On the palate these same characteristics are joined by plum and pepper.  This is a terrific medium t […]

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Rank:  4th Place Rating:  94 Approximate Price:  $34 Cutting:  A fantastic complex wine with raspberry, vanilla, cinnamon and cherry characteristics.   The Peter Franus Brandlin Vineyard Zinfandel from Napa Valley has complex raspberry, vanilla, cinnamon and cherry aromas and flavors.  This is a beautifully crafted medium textured wine with a long finish.  This wine received […]

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Rank:  5th Place Rating:  90 Approximate Price:  $45 Cutting:  An excellent medium bodied wine with vanilla, raspberry, cherry and pepper characteristics.   Powerful toasty vanilla, raspberry, cherry and pepper aromas highlight the Outpost Zinfandel from Howell Mountain.  On the palate, cherry, berry and pepper flavors predominate.  Some tasters observed licorice and plum characteristics.  This is […]

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Napa Valley is known for elegant, but vibrant Zinfandels.  AVAs such as Howell Mountain and Atlas Peak within Napa Valley are making some especially exciting wines.  Join us during the next several days as we taste and rank these five Napa Valley Zinfandels: Ballantine Block 9 Reserve Zinfandel Napa Valley (2007) Outpost Zinfandel Howell Mountain […]

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Rank:  1st Place Rating:  94 Approximate Price:  $40 Cutting:  Our number one Zinfandel from the Napa Valley Zinfandel tasting features distinctive smoky, coffee, chocolate, berry, pepper and spice characteristics.   Zinfanatics who enjoy complex wines are sure to appreciate the distinctive Robert Biale Napa Ranches Zinfandel from Napa Valley.  The wine features smoky, coffee, chocolate, […]

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Rank:  2nd Place Rating:  92 Approximate Price:  $35 Cutting:  This wine exhibits lovely plum, raspberry, spice and cola characteristics.   The Ravenswood Dickerson Vineyard Zinfandel from Napa Valley features lovely plum, raspberry and spice aromas.  Those characteristics continue on the palate where they are joined by cola flavors on the medium to long finish.  All […]

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Rank:  3rd Place Rating:  92 Approximate Price:  $31 Cutting:  A delicious wine featuring dusty plum, berry and spice characteristics.   Dusty plum, berry and spice aromas and flavors are featured in the delicious Neyers Tofanelli Vineyard Zinfandel from Napa Valley.  Licorice and tea or cola flavors are picked up on the moderately long finish.  Some […]

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Rank:  4th Place Rating:  90 Approximate Price:  $24 Cutting:  A complex wine with cherry, pepper and spice characteristics.   The Neal Zinfandel from Napa Valley is a complex wine featuring cherry, pepper and spice aromas and flavors.  The medium to long finish features tea, olive and licorice characteristics.  Some tasters noted blackberry, currant and mocha […]

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Rank:  5th Place Rating:  87 Approximate Price:  $27 Cutting:  A wine featuring smoky cherry, plum and berry aromas and flavors plus tobacco and licorice notes. The Frog’s Leap Zinfandel from Napa Valley has smoky cherry, plum and berry aromas and flavors along with tobacco and licorice notes.  This is a good wine in spite of […]

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Napa Valley is known for producing legendary Cabernet Sauvignon wines, but it also produces some elegant Zinfandels.  Join us over the next several days as we taste these Zinfandels from Napa Valley: Frog’s Leap Zinfandel Napa Valley (2007) Neal Zinfandel Napa Valley (2007) Neyers Tofanelli Vineyard Zinfandel Napa Valley (2007) Ravenswood Dickerson Vineyard Zinfandel Napa […]

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Rank:  1st Place Rating:  91 Approximate Price:  $16 Cutting:  Our first place Napa Valley is a delicious wine and an incredible value featuring plum, cherry, pepper, raisin, prune and cola characteristics. Napa Cellars Zinfandel from Napa Valley is an excellent medium bodied wine featuring plum, cherry, pepper, raisin and prune aromas and flavors with cola […]

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Rank:  2nd Place Rating:  93 Approximate Price:  $25 Cutting:  A spectacular complex wine with black cherry, rose petal, raspberry, spice, vanilla and licorice characteristics. Girard’s Old Vine Zinfandel from Napa Valley is a spectacular complex wine with aromas of black cherries, rose petals, raspberry, spice and vanilla.  Fantastic raspberry, black cherry, spice, vanilla and wood […]

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Rank:  3rd Place Rating:  90 Approximate Price:  $45 Cutting:  A powerful wine with loads of chocolate, coffee, spice, berry and licorice characteristics that some will love, but may not be to everyone’s liking. The Rosenblum Lyons Reserve Zinfandel from Napa Valley hits your nose with a strong rush of chocolate, mocha, coffee and raisin aromas […]

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Rank:  4th Place Rating:  89 Approximate Price:  $15 Cutting:  An enjoyable wine with strong cherry, raspberry and dusty vanilla or cocoa aromas that add some leather and cola notes on the palate. The Ravenswood Zinfandel Napa Valley is a solid wine with strong cherry, raspberry and dusty vanilla or cocoa aromas.  Cherry and raspberry flavors […]

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Rank:  5th Place Rating:  87 Approximate Price:  $23 Cutting:  A very good medium bodied wine with blackberry, cherry, spice and pepper characteristics. All five of the wines in our Napa Valley Zinfandel tasting were very good to excellent, but one had to finish in fifth place.  That distinction falls to the Truchard Zinfandel from the […]

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Napa Valley is famous for producing some of the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon wines in the world.  But it also offers some wonderful Zinfandels.  Napa Valley Zinfandels are often described as having aromas and flavors of raspberry, currants, vanilla, cedar, black cherry and spice. Be watching over the next several days as we taste and rate […]

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We had the pleasure of attending a tasting of six premium zinfandels recently at The Still in Lincoln, Nebraska.  The identity of each wine was known in advance.  There were about 12 tasters in total.  Because the wines were not tasted blind per our normal Zinfanatic process, we are not publishing official rankings or ratings.  […]

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