Zins, Serbians, Syrahs and others

Lou's
Tasted Friday, July 11, 2014 by Loren Sonkin with 474 views

Introduction

My friend and BBer Lou R. had a friend from Serbia in town on business. He brought with him some Serbian wines. He decided to make a tasting out of it and we added some flights of bigger USA wines as well as that is what Alex liked too. All the wines were consumed non-blind over three hours or so. Breads and cheeses were added.

Flight 1 - Starter Flight (2 Notes)

A white and a rose to get the party started.

  • 2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Sauvignon Blanc 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Very nice showing. Yellow/green in color. The nose has lemons, slight tropical fruits, a hint of grass. Crisp, nice acidity. Oily texture. Improved all night. Plenty of body. Holds its own even coming back after lots of reds.

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  • 2013 Storybook Mountain Vineyards Zin Gris 86 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    This is nice if not special. Deep ruby in color. The nose has cranberries and slight strawberries. Very soft. Light cherry juice flavors. It is cold and refreshing.

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Flight 2 - Zinfandel flight (4 Notes)

The crowd was mostly disappointed by this flight. About half of us liked the Epoch and/or Carlisle, but clearly this flight underwhelmed the group as a whole.

  • 2009 Epoch Estate Wines Zinfandel Paderewski Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    This was a bit controversial. I liked it more than many. Inky, milky purple in color. The nose is meaty with raspberries and slight menthol notes. This is sweet on the palate. Whether that is uber ripe fruit or rs, I don't know. Its a tough food match because of that. There is a lot of black raspberry, jammy fruit. Nice texture and easy to drink. Almost like "The Prisoner" on Steroids. And that is why many of those drinking, did not like it at all. One glass goes a long way, but I enjoyed it.

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  • 2010 Elyse Zinfandel Black Sears Vineyard Howell Mountain 86 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

    Ruby/purple in color. The nose has an herbal quality perhaps a summer savory note? Not much else. On the palate, tart cherries. A bit thin. This is ok, but I hoped for better from this producer/vineyard. No obvious flaws, but a bit weak.

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  • 2012 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Sonoma County 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Ruby/purple in color. The nose has spice, raspberries and some dust. On the palate, tart cherries. Medium bodied. Not a lot of complexity but enjoyable and solid wine.

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  • 2011 Carlisle Zinfandel Saitone Ranch 93 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Also controversial although I am not sure why. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has raspberries, leather and some iodine. Silky yet lush texture. Very smooth. Raspberries on the palate with some depth. With air, it opens up. Delicious. Some said the chemical/iodine element was a turn off but I wasn't bothered, and found it intriguing.

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Flight 3 - The Serbian Flight (3 Notes)

As my friend Jeff K said, its not often you get to try a whole flight of new wines. These were all from Serbia and while not amazing, they were certainly interesting and worth drinking. I think we all considered it quite a treat to be able to check these wines out.

  • 2011 Vinarija Kovacevic Aurelijus 86 Points

    Serbia, Vojvodina, Srem

    This is a Cab (70%), Merlot (30%) blend from Serbia. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has a lot of green (herbal and bell pepper). It is also dusty with black cherries. Slightly dried fruit on the palate. Slightly tart and the green streak carries thru. Also black cherry fruit. I don't mind green bell pepper in my Cabs, but some had an issue with it. Nothing really distinguishable about the wine, but it is nice. Worked better with a nice assortment of bread and cheese.

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  • 2012 Vinarija Molovin Frankovka Princip 87 Points

    Serbia, Vojvodina, Srem

    This is Blaufränkisch (Frankovka). Ruby/purple in color. The nose has an herbal note, also cherries and sandalwood. Black cherries on the palate. A fair amount of heat as well. Especially on the finish. Interesting wine. Hard to get to know in this tasting setting.

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  • 2008 Podrum Aleksandrovic Regent Reserve 88 Points

    Serbia, Šumadija-Velika Morava, Oplenac

    My favorite of the Serbian flight. This is a 50/50 Cab/Merlot blend. Ruby/purple in color. The nose also has a slight herbal streak. Cherries and some cassis with green bell pepper. On the palate, this drinks like a nice solid Bordeaux blend. Slightly under ripe perhaps but within reasonable bounds. Seems to be well made. Dried cherries on the palate turning candied on the finish. Medium tannins.

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Flight 4 - The Syrah and blend flight (4 Notes)

This was mostly a Syrah flight, but we didn't know where the Saxum Paderewski should go. As it turned out, it was corked. The Ridge was a backup I had brought. Unbeknown to the group who had earlier that night discussed Ridge Lytton springs and how well they age. I threw it in, when the Saxum turned up TCA. Good Karma. Therre was also a 2011 SonkinCellars Persona in the flight because we certainly needed more wine.

  • 2008 Linne Calodo Nemesis 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Purple/ruby in color. The nose is dusty with black pepper and black raspberries. Slight VA on the nose is evident. On the palate, this has sweet black raspberry fruit but also a tart acidity which plays off of it. Slick texture. Nice finish. Very enjoyable wine.

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  • 2005 Saxum Syrah Booker Vineyard 95 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Loved this wine. It is really in a very nice place at the moment. It is of course a big wine, but still light on its feet. Purple in color, magenta at the rim. The nose has lots of black raspberry, black pepper and some gamey meat. On the palate, ripe, slightly jammy black raspberry fruit. Slightly sweet. Very smooth. No heat. Long finish.

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  • 2009 Saxum Paderewski Vineyard Flawed

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Corked.

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  • 2001 Ridge Lytton Springs 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

    Really drinking quite well. This was a back up bottle. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is very complex with black and red raspberries, some leather, some black pepper. On the palate, this seems much younger. Nice texture. Layers of complexity. Lot of fruit left too. For a few, this was the WOTN.

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Closing

We finished with some of Alex's families peach brandy, a commercial Quince Brandy he brought, and some or Lou's family (back in Serbia) Plum Brandy. This morning was slow.
Thanks to Lou for organizing, Alex for the chance to try some new wines and everyone for their contributions.

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