32nd Annual Zinfandel Retrospective - the 2000s

Rich & Dana's
Tasted Sunday, May 30, 2010 by AllRed with 1,025 views

Introduction

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.

Flight 1 - I. Warm-up wines. (5 Notes)

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.

Flight 2 - II. Blind Zin retrospective. (9 Notes)

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.

  • 2000 Storybook Mountain Vineyards Zinfandel Mayacamas Range

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Dusty garnet color. Aromas of leather, licorice, dried fruit, prunes and floral tones. Flavors of dark fruit and currants, with obvious acidity.

    My#9, group #9 - 92 total pts.

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  • 2000 Neyers Zinfandel Pato Vineyard 87 Points

    USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa County

    Bricking at the rim. Notes of fig paste and red currants. Flavors of red fruit, raspberry and currants. 87-88 pts.

    My #8, group #5 - 62 total pts.

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  • 2000 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Home Ranch 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

    Garnet color. Aromas of dried flowers, currants and red fruit with subtle earthy undertones. Has an interesting saline quality on the palate, along with flowers and red fruit flavors. Well-balanced, with a nice finish. Upon revisiting just before being unveiled, this has developed a terrific perfumed floral quality, with lush red fruit. 90+ pts.

    My #7, group #3 - 57 total pts.

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  • 2000 De Loach Zinfandel Pelletti Ranch 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Has an old look to it, more orange in color. Tired, old thinned-out red fruit notes on the first pass. Bouquet gains strength with air...brambly raspberry, iron and beef blood notes. Nicely balanced, with red fruit flavors and nice acidity. Finishes nicely.

    My #5, group #6 - 63 total pts.

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  • 2000 Sineann Old Vine Zinfandel The Pines Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley

    Dark garnet color. Notes of lavender, leather, blueberry, licorice and dark fruit. High acid; flavors of dark fruit, berry and black cherry. Slight acetone quality on the palate prevents a higher score. 88-89 pts.

    My #6, group #4 - 60 total pts.

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  • 2000 Trentadue Winery Zinfandel Geyserville Ranch Sonoma County 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Garnet core turning orange toward the edge, throwing some sediment. Leather, dark fruit, licorice and white pepper aromas. Lots of vibrant fruit left on this one- black raspberry, black cherry and raspberry tones. Nice finish.

    My #4, group #2 - 56 total pts.

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  • 2000 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Cortina 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

    Crimson color. Aromas of white pepper, flowers, prunes and dark fruit. Cherry and floral tones on the palate, turning to raspberry and black cherry with air. Terrific balance, fruit tones carrying through the finish.

    My #2, group #7 - 67 total pts.

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  • 2000 Ridge Lytton Springs 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

    Dark ruby/crimson color. Initial aromas of prune and dark fruit. Opens in the glass with lavender, red fruit, florals and a hint of new leather. Very well-balanced fruit and acidity, with dark fruit and spice tones turning to raspberry ganache.

    My #1, group #1 - 43 total pts.

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  • 2000 Ridge Geyserville 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Dark ruby color. Aromas of dark fruit, herbs, flowers and iron; develops a red cherry note with air. Raspberry and brambly dark fruit flavors; nice balance with a good finish.

    My #3, group #8 - 85 total pts.

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Flight 3 - III. Nonblind dinner & dessert wines. (11 Notes)

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.

  • 2006 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Richard Sauret 90 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Garnet color. Raspberry liqueur note dominates; subtle pepper and spice undertones. The palate follows the nose, finishing with peppercorn and floral qualities. Nice balance throughout.

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  • 2000 Turley Zinfandel Pesenti Vineyard 87 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Crimson color. Somewhat green and stemmy; a bit lean, clove and licorice tones.

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  • 2003 Paloma Syrah 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District

    Decanted about 4 hours before dinner and returned to bottle, sitting uncorked the entire time. Inky garnet color. Aromas of dark fruit and smoke with dark fruit tones on the palate. Tasted again toward the end of the night, and it had developed floral aromas that complemented the dark fruit nuances. Tannins are still firm, slightly austere, but there's lots of dark fruit too. 90-91 pts. Check back in around 2012+.

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  • 2003 Pride Mountain Vineyards Syrah 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Decanted 4 hours before dinner and returned to bottle, sitting uncorked until it was served. Dark inky garnet color, opaque nearly to the edge. Black fruit with smoked meat tones. A big wine, but balanced. Dark fruit and firm, but sweet tannins. Developed brown sugar, lavender and floral notes in the glass. Try again in 2013+.

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  • 2000 Château Les Ormes de Pez 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Garnet color. Blackberry, cherry, black currant and smoke notes, developing floral qualities with air. Nice balance and acidity, with dark fruit and earth tones. Still has some tannins to shed. Give it until 2012+.

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  • 2000 Titus Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Quite a nice surprise. Dark garnet color. Cassis and dark fruit notes with floral undertones. Relatively big for a weak vintage, with cassis, red currants and spicy oak flavors. Tannins still have a bit of an edge but are balanced a bit by the fruit.

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  • 1999 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

    Crimson color. Red currant and cherry notes, though a bit reticent; herb undertones. Fully-integrated, displays nice balance and red fruit qualities on the palate. Decent finish. 89-90 pts.

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  • 2004 Ridge Monte Bello 92 Points

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Deep garnet color. Aromas of leather, black fruit, currants, licorice, herbs and woody spices. Nice complexity despite its youth. Structured, with tannins that are firm, but not obtrusive. Flavors of dark fruit; cassis and blackberry, with spice and oak tones. Nicely balanced and quite enjoyable. Hold until 2015+. 92-93 pts.

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  • 2004 Qupé Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

    Raspberry liqueur, herb and dark fruit notes. Balanced, with smoky dark fruit flavors and a good finish. 90-92 pts.

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  • 2007 Oakville Winery Zinfandel 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

    Deep ruby color. Bright aromas of red berry, raspberry and licorice. Chewy red fruit and cherry tones on the palate.

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  • 1998 Château Climens 92 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

    Light golden color. Aromas of apricot, marmalade and baked pears. Smells like a Sauternes that will be rich and viscous, with a heavy, mouthcoating texture. That said, it's rather elegant and light, with citrus, honey apricot blossom and stone fruit flavors. Finishes well, with crisp citrus tones. One of the Binny's bin end bottles...terrific bargain at less than $30.

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Closing

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!

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