Rich & Dana's
Tasted Sunday, May 30, 2010 by AllRed with 1,025 views
We were invited to participate in our friends' annual 10-year old Zinfandel tasting. This has been a 10-year retrospective for a number of years, but their annual Zin tasting's origins go back almost 40 years in one format or another, be it a horizontal of vineyard-designated Zins, or a 5-year retrospective, etc. Wines are listed in the order tasted.
Served nonblind with light hors d'oeuvres as everyone gathered. The two zins were those that didn't make the cut for the blind retrospective.
These were tasted blind in one flight. After some time, we turned in our rankings, and the votes were tallied. One point for a 1st place ranking, two points for a 2nd place ranking, and so on. There were, to my best recollection, thirteen tasters and I believe everyone turned in their rankings. When the votes were tallied, we unveiled the wines from 9th place to 1st.
Most surprising was how nice the fruit was in these wines. As a group I felt they showed quite well compared to my expectations going in. Most of them showed a lot of acidity, and there was some debate at the table as to whether the acid kept these so fresh, or if it was there from the start.
After the blind tasting, we started in on dinner - a delicious barbequed beef brisket that Rich and Dana had prepared, paired with all of the wines everyone brought.
Towards the end of the night, Rich and Dana broke out their notebook, containing the results from all of the previous Zin tastings, in one format or another, going back to 1972. It was really cool to see some of the wineries and vineyards in those pages. What a terrific evening--thank you R&D!
2009 Lewis Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Pale color. Focused, citrus-laser beam. High acid level. Nice.
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2009 Lewis Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Pale color. Has a little Semillon in it, and it shows through. Well-balanced. Citrus and floral tones, hint of grass. A more "complete" wine than the regular. Nice length on the finish.
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2009 Lewis Cellars Syrah Vin Gris 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Bright pink-ruby color. Red berry and floral notes. Nice acidity; palate follows the nose with the addition of subtle spice tones, finishing very well. Crisp and focused. 89+ pts.
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2000 Green & Red Vineyards Zinfandel Chiles Canyon Vineyards 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Crimson core, showing some age toward the edge. Aromas of rhubarb, red cherry and watermelon rind with spice undertones. Red fruit and baking spices on the palate.
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2000 Truchard Zinfandel 89 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Garnet color with aromas of raspberry, black cherry and beef bouillon. Balanced, with cinnamon, red berry and pepper tones on the palate.
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