Actually still enjoyable. Still a nice ruby color. The aromas were of candied strawberries, dried cherries, some savory spices such as rosemary (although that may have been an effect of the lamb I ate it with). It certainly did not seem past its prime.
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Bought a 12b case from a local retailer for 9.50/b six years ago; last bottle of that case. Decanted; sediment seemed above average for 6-7 years since bottling. Dark red with some amber edge; cooked red fruit nose, fruit detectable but faded from body. Noticeable decline since last bottle 18 months ago. OK with savory pizza but past prime: useful reading on its longevity. WA said drink "over the next 1-3 years" in 2012--conservative but fair advice. Interesting to note that Wine-Searcher Pro shows '10, '07, '05 and '04 still available from at least one US vendor, though the '10 vendor says "Out of Stock"; the '04 vendor shows 30 in stock ('12-'15 are at multiple sources). Stored horizontally in a cool, dark basement since purchase. My evaluation: I've stopped giving scores on a "100-point scale" as I've become less convinced that they can be meaningful to others. I use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. I consider this notable+ over the life of the case when considering quality, age, and price.
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Always a good standby. Good berry flavors, but not a fruit bomb. Even at 5 years, the tannins are still pretty strong in this wine. Another year might be good. Vanilla and fairly strong cedar as well.
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It felt like late September in St Louis last evening and my father and law brought a bottle of Zin for the lasagna. I followed his up with this and it was a totally agreeable, easy to drink, tasty zin.
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For a Parker monster, I liked this wine. Blackberry and briar on the nose, intense blackberry syrup/jam and underbrush on the palate. If anything against it, it is something monolithic, sweetish and very intense. A very good effort, but hard to drink a lot of it.
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Nice easy drinking Zinfandel. Some spice and dark fruit. Nothing spectacular but enjoyable. Light body Zinfandel. Enjoyed it with a grilled pork chop with a balsamic glaze and homemade risotto.
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Spicy and fruity. Unusual 'green' aroma, perhaps grassy or like weeds. Also nose of cherry and red fruit. Very spicy long finish. May be too bold for some, but overall a good QPR.
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Rich and soft but a mean green pepper / stemmy note on the finish ruined this for me. I did not see any references to greenish flavors in other notes so maybe a bad bottle. 78 as is, 88 w/o the stemmy finish.
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Sweeter than anticipated. Decent structure and body with a deep fruit without any of the burn expected in a lower cost zin. The sweetness is what really holds this back.
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Fruit forward with blackberries and some leather on the palate, a simple wine, delicious with Thanksgiving leftovers, but nothing spectacular here. Helen Turley doesn't need to worry.
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Just a very interesting, great drinking zin. Herb, mint, spice, tar and blackberry, to name just a few. Let the last one go a couple years just to see how it goes.
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Surprisingly, this didn't taste as mass-manufactured as I feared. This showed good varietal character, juicy fruit and good balance. This falls a bit short on depth and complexity, but for the price, this wasn't bad at all. Bottom line... if you like the varietal, this may appeal on the low end... if you don't care for Zin, this certainly won't change your stance. With time, however, this did get a bit "roasted" and tiring.
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Bob Parker has given this a 91 and I am not sure why. No depth, structure, or finish at all. Yes there is some fruit here but in no way is this a 91pt Zin. Now let's give it it's due at 10 bucks a bottle. This is a good bottle of wine for the price and an excellent bbq bottle. Maybe I need to try it again, but for now it is a non-buy...
" (Parker) - I actually preferred the bigger production, less expensive 2010 Zinfandel Heritage Vines (40,700 cases), which was made from a blend of 93% Zinfandel and 7% Petite Sirah, largely from the Russian River and Lodi areas, that achieved nearly 15% natural alcohol. It possesses a dark ruby/plum color as well as notes of roasted herbs, underbrush, ground pepper, meaty, briery, black cherry and black currant fruit, and abundant spice. This offering borders on being too rustic and earthy, but excellent ripeness, structure, texture and richness are all present. Drink this absurdly priced beauty over the next 1-3 years."
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Holy shit this is great juice for the price. Fruit-forward, but with great length. Not much in the way of tannin or oak treatment but the fruit is so pure, I didn't mind it too much. I could see some folks finding it a touch too sweet, but it stayed on the right side of the fence for me. I was very impressed. Looking at the CT notes, perhaps I'm alone. The alcohol levels are high, but I didn't notice while I was drinking- only afterwards :)
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5/15/2020 - Rebs in Chicago Likes this wine: 87 Points
Actually still enjoyable. Still a nice ruby color. The aromas were of candied strawberries, dried cherries, some savory spices such as rosemary (although that may have been an effect of the lamb I ate it with). It certainly did not seem past its prime.
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8/5/2018 - Oenecnist wrote:
Bought a 12b case from a local retailer for 9.50/b six years ago; last bottle of that case. Decanted; sediment seemed above average for 6-7 years since bottling. Dark red with some amber edge; cooked red fruit nose, fruit detectable but faded from body. Noticeable decline since last bottle 18 months ago. OK with savory pizza but past prime: useful reading on its longevity. WA said drink "over the next 1-3 years" in 2012--conservative but fair advice. Interesting to note that Wine-Searcher Pro shows '10, '07, '05 and '04 still available from at least one US vendor, though the '10 vendor says "Out of Stock"; the '04 vendor shows 30 in stock ('12-'15 are at multiple sources). Stored horizontally in a cool, dark basement since purchase. My evaluation: I've stopped giving scores on a "100-point scale" as I've become less convinced that they can be meaningful to others. I use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. I consider this notable+ over the life of the case when considering quality, age, and price.
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11/26/2015 - Altonplace wrote: 86 Points
Good complement as an American wine for an American tradition: Thanksgiving. Otherwise, too much of a candy sweet fruit for this palate.
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6/16/2015 - kmicho Likes this wine: 86 Points
Vanilla, cedar, slightly astringent on the nose. On the palate, similar flavors predominant plus some cocoa and some berries.
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4/29/2015 - kmicho Likes this wine: 61 Points
Always a good standby. Good berry flavors, but not a fruit bomb. Even at 5 years, the tannins are still pretty strong in this wine. Another year might be good. Vanilla and fairly strong cedar as well.
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8/23/2014 - Altonplace wrote:
Has improved over last year of cellaring. Needs an hour to air. Cherry tones may be too sweet for some.
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3/12/2014 - Jonclark99 wrote: 86 Points
Plum and raisin with spice. Not too much tannin and reasonable length. Worth the price. Nice drinking wine.
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11/30/2013 - Barry Notes wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Clear, deep dark purple. A nice everyday wine. Good drinking window, proper Zin flavor, med body, long finish, nice fruit. Nothing off. Gift
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9/27/2013 - pkatz Likes this wine: 89 Points
Consistent with previous notes.
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9/9/2013 - pkatz Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consistent with previous notes.
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7/28/2013 - easttide Likes this wine: 88 Points
It felt like late September in St Louis last evening and my father and law brought a bottle of Zin for the lasagna. I followed his up with this and it was a totally agreeable, easy to drink, tasty zin.
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7/10/2013 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 89 Points
For a Parker monster, I liked this wine. Blackberry and briar on the nose, intense blackberry syrup/jam and underbrush on the palate. If anything against it, it is something monolithic, sweetish and very intense. A very good effort, but hard to drink a lot of it.
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6/2/2013 - cmr wrote: flawed
Presume an off bottle based on my other tastings. May have been slightly corked.
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6/1/2013 - Runekjensen wrote: 88 Points
Solbær og blød. Typisk amerikansk
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5/12/2013 - RogerQ wrote: 88 Points
Nice easy drinking Zinfandel. Some spice and dark fruit. Nothing spectacular but enjoyable. Light body Zinfandel. Enjoyed it with a grilled pork chop with a balsamic glaze and homemade risotto.
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4/10/2013 - kenhud Likes this wine: 85 Points
Spicy and fruity. Unusual 'green' aroma, perhaps grassy or like weeds. Also nose of cherry and red fruit. Very spicy long finish. May be too bold for some, but overall a good QPR.
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4/4/2013 - rhanke wrote: 87 Points
light
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3/18/2013 - cmr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Outstanding qpr. Not overdone and jammy .. just good balance, structure and briary berry spicy zin fruit. Very food friendly.
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3/5/2013 - TBA wrote:
Rich and soft but a mean green pepper / stemmy note on the finish ruined this for me. I did not see any references to greenish flavors in other notes so maybe a bad bottle. 78 as is, 88 w/o the stemmy finish.
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12/30/2012 - pkatz Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consistent with previous notes.
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12/16/2012 - Basicallyjones wrote: 86 Points
Sweeter than anticipated. Decent structure and body with a deep fruit without any of the burn expected in a lower cost zin. The sweetness is what really holds this back.
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11/25/2012 - mazik wrote: 88 Points
Fruit forward with blackberries and some leather on the palate, a simple wine, delicious with Thanksgiving leftovers, but nothing spectacular here. Helen Turley doesn't need to worry.
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11/24/2012 - corkscrews wrote: 87 Points
A nose of dark fruit and spice, dark garnet in color. A medium bodied Zin, with blackberry, cherry, some pepper and a juicy spice finish, good QPR.
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11/19/2012 - ivsimler wrote: 88 Points
Damn good value for $11.99. Went great with bbq ny strip steak and baked potatoes. What more could you want for the price?
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11/9/2012 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 90 Points
Just a very interesting, great drinking zin. Herb, mint, spice, tar and blackberry, to name just a few. Let the last one go a couple years just to see how it goes.
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11/8/2012 - mdefreitas wrote: 86 Points
Surprisingly, this didn't taste as mass-manufactured as I feared. This showed good varietal character, juicy fruit and good balance. This falls a bit short on depth and complexity, but for the price, this wasn't bad at all. Bottom line... if you like the varietal, this may appeal on the low end... if you don't care for Zin, this certainly won't change your stance. With time, however, this did get a bit "roasted" and tiring.
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11/5/2012 - VinoHunter wrote: 87 Points
Bob Parker has given this a 91 and I am not sure why. No depth, structure, or finish at all. Yes there is some fruit here but in no way is this a 91pt Zin. Now let's give it it's due at 10 bucks a bottle. This is a good bottle of wine for the price and an excellent bbq bottle. Maybe I need to try it again, but for now it is a non-buy...
" (Parker) - I actually preferred the bigger production, less expensive 2010 Zinfandel Heritage Vines (40,700 cases), which was made from a blend of 93% Zinfandel and 7% Petite Sirah, largely from the Russian River and Lodi areas, that achieved nearly 15% natural alcohol. It possesses a dark ruby/plum color as well as notes of roasted herbs, underbrush, ground pepper, meaty, briery, black cherry and black currant fruit, and abundant spice. This offering borders on being too rustic and earthy, but excellent ripeness, structure, texture and richness are all present. Drink this absurdly priced beauty over the next 1-3 years."
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11/2/2012 - WineAggregate Likes this wine: 90 Points
Briery, spicy, decent concentration, clean fruit, blackberry and black cherry, a real nice zin, plenty of interest especially at the price.
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11/2/2012 - Pointchaser wrote: 92 Points
Holy shit this is great juice for the price. Fruit-forward, but with great length. Not much in the way of tannin or oak treatment but the fruit is so pure, I didn't mind it too much. I could see some folks finding it a touch too sweet, but it stayed on the right side of the fence for me. I was very impressed. Looking at the CT notes, perhaps I'm alone. The alcohol levels are high, but I didn't notice while I was drinking- only afterwards :)
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10/23/2012 - rhanke wrote: 82 Points
Used most of it to cook with. Seems like a watered down zin. very light
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10/14/2012 - Euell Gophar wrote: 86 Points
More mellow flavor than most Zins. But has a striking nose. Entry-level in quality and price.
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10/7/2012 - pkatz wrote: 90 Points
A nice, balanced, not over the top but varietally correct zin. Great price too. Lot's of pleasure at this price.
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9/28/2012 - cestes wrote: 84 Points
Not one of my favorites, but not bad either. The nose was faint. Initial flavors of plums with cocoa and hints of coffee and leather. Quick finish.
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9/9/2012 - WaltnMicki wrote: 87 Points
Blackberry nose with hints of leather. Smooth flavor, medium sweet and full body. Smooth finish.
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8/21/2012 - Bbqcody wrote: 84 Points
Pretty good at the start but don't plan on much if you hold it over for a follow up meal. Good with smoked meat.
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4/18/2012 - Kelliepeterson wrote: 74 Points
Initially pleasant on the nose and drinkable but quickly deteriorated to the point of unpleasant. Poured down the drain.
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12/24/2011 - bobpsi wrote: 85 Points
Similar to prvious bottle
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12/19/2011 - bobpsi wrote: 85 Points
P&P. Moderate nose of stewed fruit, and pepper. Medium body of ripe red fruits, and some spice. Medium finish.
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