Gave this bottle about 2-hours of air before consuming. It drank perfectly and still has some longevity to it, but why wait? It's drinking perfect right now. Hands down the best bottle of Zinfandel I have ever had. Nice weight, but balanced. Long length and without the high alcohol. Delicious wine!
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Sept of 2011 I wrote that this was the best Zinfandel I've ever had and it still is. In fact, it's even better now and still not at peak. The nose still leads with zippy bramble at the pop but later adds a bunch of baby powder and potpourri. The jammy treacle and strawberry/vanilla of young Zin is now integrated with darker plum, pomegranate, kirsch, and blueberry pie. Mature silkiness with a super long finish and a solid backbone of acidity throughout. Damn good 5+13+19+8 = 95
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This is one of the best Zinfandel's I've ever tasted. Superlatives will do no justice describing the pleasures of this wine. Dark, rich, fruity nose - a tease for what's to come. Cascading flavors of cedar, bramble, spice and sweet tobacco. Round, lucious and lingering in the mouth. Finish is long, allowing the powerful yet graceful personality of this wine a chance to reveal itself. Fantastic wine, masterful winemaking. Will not pass up any future bottlings I encounter. Outstanding.
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Popped and tasted for the next 4-5 hours. The hue is extra dark ruby, about 90% opaque and the thickest, most color-saturated legs on the glass I've ever seen. The profound bouquet features really zippy berry, jam, and bramble. I also get a touch of what I recognize as solder fumes... that steely aroma you get as solder melts. The palate is generous and round, very full-bodied but not a trace of heat and wonderful fruit flavor that has integrated seamlessly with the structure. Tannins still have lots of life and this is as good as any Zinfandel I've ever had and should be a great, mature example. Very happy to have one more socked away. 5+12+18+8 = 93
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Spicy and very ripe on the Nose. Seemingly tons of residual sugar on the palate; tannic; raisiny; heat in belly. Rather port-like. Not really my style, but others in attendance liked it quite a lot.
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I loved this wine- very tasty! Perfect amount of fruit and spice. A great wine for BBQ!!! Thank you Bob (fingers). Like a couple other reviewers stated- very balanced- was a little sweet- but not too much. This wine is singing right now- but can go longer as well. Highly recommend to the Zin lover!
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Hosted a Zin tasting with this as my standard-bearer. Guests brought Rosenblum California, Ravenswood Sonoma Old Vine, and BV Napa Valley. The Saxon Brown was opened slightly before the others, and hence showed better consistently throughout the night, although many others only got worse with air. Slightly sweet cranberry and raspberry come to the fore, with slight spice and acid, some green apple, underbrush / dirtiness, and for a zin, a lovely roundness with great mouthfeel, length, and a superb finish. Balanced from the word go.
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OMG!!! What a wine. Deliciously fruity nose and a silky texture on the pallet with loads of fruit. Not too much heat and a wonderful complex finish. Glad I have another one tucked away in the cellar.
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Drank two weeks ago and forgot to note. What I can remember is how much it evolved in the first hour of opening. Just kept growing and growing. It was beautifully balanced and the Zinfandel character was fully there without being extracted or cloying. Elegant and smooth. Very long finish and was perfect with chateaubriand. Should cellar for awhile and give it a long decant.
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10/20/2013 - CarpeVinum Likes this wine: 92 Points
Gave this bottle about 2-hours of air before consuming. It drank perfectly and still has some longevity to it, but why wait? It's drinking perfect right now. Hands down the best bottle of Zinfandel I have ever had. Nice weight, but balanced. Long length and without the high alcohol. Delicious wine!
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12/20/2012 - fingers wrote: 95 Points
Sept of 2011 I wrote that this was the best Zinfandel I've ever had and it still is. In fact, it's even better now and still not at peak. The nose still leads with zippy bramble at the pop but later adds a bunch of baby powder and potpourri. The jammy treacle and strawberry/vanilla of young Zin is now integrated with darker plum, pomegranate, kirsch, and blueberry pie. Mature silkiness with a super long finish and a solid backbone of acidity throughout. Damn good 5+13+19+8 = 95
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10/29/2012 - macawmom&dad wrote: 91 Points
superb zinfandel with great fruit, some acid and excellent taste. Still good the next night
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2/17/2012 - vino vidi vici wrote: 94 Points
This is one of the best Zinfandel's I've ever tasted. Superlatives will do no justice describing the pleasures of this wine. Dark, rich, fruity nose - a tease for what's to come. Cascading flavors of cedar, bramble, spice and sweet tobacco. Round, lucious and lingering in the mouth. Finish is long, allowing the powerful yet graceful personality of this wine a chance to reveal itself. Fantastic wine, masterful winemaking. Will not pass up any future bottlings I encounter. Outstanding.
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9/21/2011 - fingers wrote: 93 Points
Popped and tasted for the next 4-5 hours. The hue is extra dark ruby, about 90% opaque and the thickest, most color-saturated legs on the glass I've ever seen. The profound bouquet features really zippy berry, jam, and bramble. I also get a touch of what I recognize as solder fumes... that steely aroma you get as solder melts. The palate is generous and round, very full-bodied but not a trace of heat and wonderful fruit flavor that has integrated seamlessly with the structure. Tannins still have lots of life and this is as good as any Zinfandel I've ever had and should be a great, mature example. Very happy to have one more socked away. 5+12+18+8 = 93
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7/28/2011 - macawmom&dad wrote: 92 Points
Aging well. Still good fruit. Would consume in next 18 months.
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4/2/2011 - grafstrb wrote:
OCP4W IX (WCC in Irvine, CA): -- tasted blind over 5 minutes --
-- this was red wine # 3 --
Spicy and very ripe on the Nose. Seemingly tons of residual sugar on the palate; tannic; raisiny; heat in belly. Rather port-like. Not really my style, but others in attendance liked it quite a lot.
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12/24/2009 - VinoPKM wrote: 91 Points
I loved this wine- very tasty! Perfect amount of fruit and spice. A great wine for BBQ!!! Thank you Bob (fingers). Like a couple other reviewers stated- very balanced- was a little sweet- but not too much. This wine is singing right now- but can go longer as well. Highly recommend to the Zin lover!
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10/17/2009 - GlenviewGSW wrote: 84 Points
Just seemed off to me. No real sense of balance. Dried cherry on the nose but overly sweet on the palate. Not my style at all.
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8/29/2009 - PVTerroir wrote: 91 Points
Hosted a Zin tasting with this as my standard-bearer. Guests brought Rosenblum California, Ravenswood Sonoma Old Vine, and BV Napa Valley. The Saxon Brown was opened slightly before the others, and hence showed better consistently throughout the night, although many others only got worse with air. Slightly sweet cranberry and raspberry come to the fore, with slight spice and acid, some green apple, underbrush / dirtiness, and for a zin, a lovely roundness with great mouthfeel, length, and a superb finish. Balanced from the word go.
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11/30/2008 - swimnfit wrote: 94 Points
OMG!!! What a wine. Deliciously fruity nose and a silky texture on the pallet with loads of fruit. Not too much heat and a wonderful complex finish. Glad I have another one tucked away in the cellar.
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8/28/2008 - fingers wrote:
Drank two weeks ago and forgot to note. What I can remember is how much it evolved in the first hour of opening. Just kept growing and growing. It was beautifully balanced and the Zinfandel character was fully there without being extracted or cloying. Elegant and smooth. Very long finish and was perfect with chateaubriand. Should cellar for awhile and give it a long decant.
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