BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast

89
Cedarville Vineyard 2009 Estate Zinfandel
(El Dorado). Cedarville is loved for its
Syrah and Grenache but it can expertly handle its estate
Zinfandel too—grown at 2,500-foot elevation—
This smoky, raspberry-wrapped, silky wine is full of big,
round mountain tannins yet somehow manages to be
light on its feet on the finish. Have it with sticky ribs.
—V.B.
abv: 14.9% Price: $22
88
Leese-Fitch 2009 Zinfandel (California).
For full review see page 10. Best Buy.
abv: 13.9% Price: $13
88
Peachy Canyon 2010 Especiale Zinfandel
(Paso Robles). Zinfandel is joined by
Mourvèdre and a few other minor grape varieties in this
overtly sweet, high alcohol wine. It’s soft and glyceriney,
with cherry, blueberry, dark chocolate and pepper
flavors. You have to give it credit for being true to its
style. —S.H.
abv: 15.5% Price: $40
88
Peachy Canyon 2010 Mustang Springs
Zinfandel (Paso Robles). High alcohol gives
this wine a glyceriney sweetness as well as heat, a prickly
mouthfeel boosted by plenty of black pepper. Yet
it’s softly delicious, in the Peachy Canyon way, with an
enormous array of blackberries, chocolate and bacon.
Drink now. —S.H.
abv: 15% Price: $36
88
Peachy Canyon 2010 Snow Zinfandel
(Paso Robles). This is Peachy Canyon’s 100%
Zinfandel, unblended, and it’s a true expression of the
variety, Paso Robles style. That means it’s softly voluptuous
and almost to the point of overripeness, with
blackberry, raisin and spice flavors. Drink now. —S.H.
abv: 14.5% Price: $36
88
Peachy Canyon 2010 Vortex Zinfandel
(Paso Robles). Made in the Peachy Canyon
style, this Zin, which contains some Petite Sirah, is very
high in alcohol. It’s sweet, hot and soft. The blueberry,
blackberry and chocolate flavors are almost in dessert
wine territory, but it’s a very good example of its genre.
—S.H.
abv: 15.6% Price: $36
87
Kirkland Signature 2009 Grandmere Old
Vine Zinfandel (Amador County). Aromatically,
this wine takes some time to open, but in taste it’s
structured, pretty and very floral, with smooth lines of
cherry and red raspberry that defy its high alcohol level.
Made by Renwood Winery in Amador County, it’s a very
good value. Best Buy. —V.B.
abv: 15% Price: $11
87
Peachy Canyon 2010 Incredible Red Zinfandel
(Paso Robles). A useful Zin, rich and
sweet and savory. Blended for complexity with Syrah
and Petite Sirah, it’s satisfying in black cherry, red licorice
and cola flavors, sprinkled with black pepper and
baking spices. Easy to drink with barbecue, burgers and
such. Best Buy. —S.H.
abv: 14.9% Price: $12
58 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | MONTH 2012
87
Ruby Hill Winery 2009 Peacock Patch
Reserve Zinfandel (Livermore Valley). A
big Zin with juicy dark cherry and blackberry jammyness
and a slight hint of cedar and clove. This wine is a
chance to open but is a nice showpiece for Ruby Hill’s
love of and prowess with big, ripe Zins. —V.B.
abv: 15.5% Price: $25
87
Sebastiani 2009 Zinfandel (Dry Creek
Valley). A rich, flashy Zinfandel, packed with
spicy cherry, blackberry, cocoa and pepper flavors.
Shows plenty of Dry Creek character in the firm tannins
and briary, brambly mouthfeel. A sweet finish suggests
pairing it with slightly sweet dishes, like ribs or chicken
slathered in barbeque sauce. —S.H.
abv: 14.4% Price: $24
86
Pessagno 2009 Idyll Times Vineyard Zinfandel
(San Benito County). Roll out richly
sauced barbecue for this lusty Zinfandel. It’s a big wine,
full-bodied and dry, with spicy flavors of briary wild berries,
tobacco and green herbs. It’s hard to like on its
own, but sweet meats and hard cheeses will help soften
it. —S.H.
abv: 14.7% Price: $21
86
Tortoise Creek 2010 The Chelonian Zinfandel
(Lodi). Clements Hills is an up and
coming subregion within Lodi and the grapes for this
wine have been sourced from three Clements Hills
vineyards. The wine has its rustic side but is also savory,
with dark plum and berry fruit flavors and a toasty note
at the end. The Chelonian Research Foundation, for
which this wine is named, is devoted to the conservation
of turtles and tortoises, and portions of the wine’s
proceeds will be donated. Best Buy. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $11
85
Earthquake 2010 Zinfandel (Lodi). No
doubt Michael-David is going for a certain style
with Earthquake, describing it as “over the top and shattering
to the veins.” Indeed. This Lodi Zin will knock
your socks and several other pieces of clothing off with
its smoky, greasy, hot and sweet berry pie flavors, with
a side of bacon to boot. True to its style, this is one very
big boy. —V.B.
abv: 16% Price: $26
85
Gnarly Head 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel
(Lodi). This majority Zin with 18% Petite Sirah
is a popular, widely available choice for many Zin loves.
Its concentrated fists of sweetness—vanilla and cherrybased
mostly—are hits with many consumers. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $12
85
Peachy Canyon 2010 Old Bailey Zinfandel
(Paso Robles). Too sweet by far, this is
almost a dessert wine, with overripe raisin and prune
flavors alongside the blackberries. Sugar reprises on the
finish, making it a little cloying. —S.H.
abv: 14.7% Price: $36
85
Perry Creek 2009 Zinman Zinfandel (El
Dorado). For full review see page 9.
abv: 14.9% Price: $14
85
Quackenbush 2009 Estate Zinfandel
(Lake County). A good, everyday Zinfan-
del, robust in blackberry, raisin and chocolate flavors,
wrapped into firm tannins. With its sweet finish, it will
be a good companion to tomato-based barbecue. —S.H.
abv: 14.4% Price: $18
84
Campus Oaks 2008 Old Vine Zinfandel
(Lodi). For full review see page 10.
abv: 14.5% Price: $16
84
Darcie Kent Vineyards 2009 DeMayo
Vineyard Zinfandel (Livermore Valley). A
field blend from the DeMayo Vineyard, believed to be
mostly Zin and Petite Sirah. The resulting wine doesn’t
show much of its provenance or history, just a smidgen
of spice but only fruit and modest of flavor. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $30
84
Peterson 2009 Old School Zinfandel (Dry
Creek Valley). Made in the winery’s style,
which is ripe, full-bodied and rustic. This one’s extracted
in jammy blackberries, plums and currants, with
some raisins on the finish, which is dry and spicy. —S.H.
abv: 14.2% Price: $18
84
Salvatore Principe 2010 Blue Groove
Zinfandel (Lodi). A young, plummy Zin that’s
lightly sweet, with blackberry jam, vanilla and caramel
notes. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $13
84
XYZin 2009 Vine Age Series Zinfandel
(California). A simple, rustic Zinfandel, sweet
and fruity in cherry jam, red licorice, bacon and spice
flavors, wrapped into robust tannins. The grapes were
sourced from Sonoma, Mendocino and Lodi. —S.H.
abv: 14.2% Price: $16
83
Peterson 2009 Bradford Mountain Vineyard
Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley). Even if
you don’t mind high alcohol in a Zinfandel, you might
find yourself reacting to this one. It’s frankly hot, with
a chili pepper burn to the berry fruit. It’s also overripe,
with a sweet, Porty taste. —S.H.
abv: 15.2% Price: $35
82
Peterson 2009 Bernier Zinyard Zinfandel
(Dry Creek Valley). Unbalanced, with lots of
acidity, hard tannins and raisiny flavors alongside green
ones. —S.H.
abv: 13.9% Price: $27
81
Peterson 2009 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley).
Vegetal and a little unclean, with deficient
acidity that makes the fruit tastes insipid and sweet.
Meanwhile, high alcohol makes it all hot. —S.H.
abv: 15.1% Price: $24
BARBERA
90
Yorba 2008 Shake Ridge Vineyards Barbera
(Amador County). A very drinkable,
densely lush Barbera that’s been given proper time to
age and tame its tannins. This wine has dense plum flavors
and accompanying layers of spice and earth, a very
nice example of mountain-grown California Barbera.
—V.B.
abv: 14.9% Price: $28