Dark ruby with just some brick around the edges. Nose of Dried cherries, cola, red plum, fading to earthiness. Taste was a bit more restrained in terms of fruit. Dried cherry with dark cocoa going into a tart pomegranate. Finished with surprisingly firm with almost bitter tannins and an herbal character (majoram?). Nice wine and terrific memories. It's held up quite well, but clearly on the downslope of any reasonable drink window.
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Really impressed. This one has quite a bit of life left, although I do not feel it will appreciate anymore with bottle aging. The drink window on this wine is incredibly inaccurate. Upon cork pop, little bit of mushroom along with brambleberry nose did sort of concern me. Poured into glass and a quick swirl, this one had a little bit of awkwardness to it, and took probably 30 minutes to settle. After it did, it revealed a very nice structured wine. Brambly black cherry, boysenberry, hint of fig and plum. This one got a little more acidic towards the finish okay, but just a touch. Still a tiny bit of fine grit tannin towards the finish, but this one was so balanced and structured that it was a bit of a shocker. Far exceeded my expectation, which I expected it to be a little bit on the decline.
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Brick red, clearly aged. Nose was very expressive and belied the age. Dried cherries, raspberries and plum. All wrapped in a package with zingy acidity and smooth oak, with firm tannins, for a bitter finish. Oldest Zin we've had and incredibly impressed by how it's held up. Never would have guessed it was more than 6 years old. That said, while I greatly appreciate a wine like this on our anniversary, I wouldn't run to buy the age as I like newer vintages.
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Tasted with a group of five experienced wine amateurs and the consensus was that is one of the best Zins ever and in great shape for drinking. Tannins were resolved and there were tasty layers of spiciness and herbal complexity, and I’m glad we have a few more in the cellar for comparison over time. Bottom line: loved it.
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My wife and I are big fans of the Lamborn wines, Zinfandel and Cabernet. This was our last bottle of the 2006 Zinfandel after working our way through a half case. This wine was an outstanding Zinfandel; complex, full and showing many nuances as it opened and aired. Here comes the "however" though. It is now on the downside of its lifecycle, not unexpected for a Zinfandel but somewhat atypical for a Howell Mountain wine. If you have any remaining bottles of this wonderful wine, enjoy them now.
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I simply can't get enough of this one or say enough great things. Candy apple red in the glass with both a sweet and smokey nose. This is simply delicious and must be made from some type of melted heavenly candy.
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Spice on the nose, with berry fruit and pepper on the mid-palate. Nice finish, with hints of hard candy. Although a little hot at first, alcohol and tannins smoothed out nicely after about 45 minute decant. Constructed more in an old-world style, with more complexity than many of the more common fruity modern California zinfandels. Good wine for the price.
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Still my absolute favorite Zin of all time. I love everything about this wine from the way it looks in the glass, to its smell to its candied taste. Drinking fabulous right now.
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Disappointing. We LOVED this wine at the vineyard last summer. Then it was just bursting with bright fruit and luscious mouthcoating body. However, tonight we pulled it from our cellar/fridge and then decanted. From the beginning it was somewhat closed with an oaky, cherry nose and palate. We assumed it would open as it warmed and got some air. However, we now sit here after 90+ minutes with the last of the bottle and remain underwhelmed. The best word we can think of is flat. It is medium bodied and even watery, with somewhat harsh tannins and lacks the life that we recall. There is currant, coffee, and cherry, but not a whole lot more. Certainly not particularly complex or worthy of being a $30-40 zin. Sad.
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I thought this was delicious. Smooth, rich, sweet without too much sugar, bold enough without too much pepper. Seriously wish I had more of this because this bottle was not enough. Great wine, if you have it, you will enjoy if you like zins. Amazing.
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Description repeats. I love this wine but find myself at a loss as to better describe it. It is sweet, but not overpowering. It is light in the glass like a pinot, but with gusto. Sad to see another one fall but it always exceeds my expectations.
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Nice smooth zin. good fruit. Flavor profile contains more black fruits than the typical zins that tend towards red fruits. More full bodies as well. A zin cab drinkers would prefer.
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Wow, what a treat. I remember tasting this one at the vineyard and thinking it was the most memorable wine from the day (and I generally would say I prefer Cab to Zin). This bottle confirms my original recollection and maybe even better. The operative word throughout the life of the bottle was "smooth" and none of the harshness or spicey tones that often dominate a Zin. I don't have a lot of Zins to compare to but I can say without question I prefer this to any Turley, Biale or Dashe I have had. Even my wife who is can be quite fickle about anything that isn't middle of the fairway for her palate loved it.
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Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of rose petals, red currants and a dash of coffee. Flavors of raspberries, berries and cherries. Light to medium acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium body. Drink or hold.
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Barbeque Wines (Farpointe Cellar): The nose was very chocolatey, and also had blackberry, spice, and a touch of vanilla. The palate was soft, and had blackberry, chocolate, spice, and a slightly oaky finish.
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5/28/2021 - DougSamuel Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark ruby with just some brick around the edges. Nose of Dried cherries, cola, red plum, fading to earthiness. Taste was a bit more restrained in terms of fruit. Dried cherry with dark cocoa going into a tart pomegranate. Finished with surprisingly firm with almost bitter tannins and an herbal character (majoram?). Nice wine and terrific memories. It's held up quite well, but clearly on the downslope of any reasonable drink window.
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6/17/2020 - mflesh wrote: 92 Points
Really impressed. This one has quite a bit of life left, although I do not feel it will appreciate anymore with bottle aging. The drink window on this wine is incredibly inaccurate. Upon cork pop, little bit of mushroom along with brambleberry nose did sort of concern me. Poured into glass and a quick swirl, this one had a little bit of awkwardness to it, and took probably 30 minutes to settle. After it did, it revealed a very nice structured wine. Brambly black cherry, boysenberry, hint of fig and plum. This one got a little more acidic towards the finish okay, but just a touch. Still a tiny bit of fine grit tannin towards the finish, but this one was so balanced and structured that it was a bit of a shocker. Far exceeded my expectation, which I expected it to be a little bit on the decline.
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5/27/2020 - DougSamuel wrote: 91 Points
Brick red, clearly aged. Nose was very expressive and belied the age. Dried cherries, raspberries and plum. All wrapped in a package with zingy acidity and smooth oak, with firm tannins, for a bitter finish. Oldest Zin we've had and incredibly impressed by how it's held up. Never would have guessed it was more than 6 years old. That said, while I greatly appreciate a wine like this on our anniversary, I wouldn't run to buy the age as I like newer vintages.
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8/27/2018 - eldaveF Likes this wine:
very close to the end of its shelf life Aug 2018
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1/5/2018 - Dave Ro Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasted with a group of five experienced wine amateurs and the consensus was that is one of the best Zins ever and in great shape for drinking. Tannins were resolved and there were tasty layers of spiciness and herbal complexity, and I’m glad we have a few more in the cellar for comparison over time. Bottom line: loved it.
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6/23/2012 - The Stricklands wrote: 90 Points
My wife and I are big fans of the Lamborn wines, Zinfandel and Cabernet. This was our last bottle of the 2006 Zinfandel after working our way through a half case. This wine was an outstanding Zinfandel; complex, full and showing many nuances as it opened and aired. Here comes the "however" though. It is now on the downside of its lifecycle, not unexpected for a Zinfandel but somewhat atypical for a Howell Mountain wine. If you have any remaining bottles of this wonderful wine, enjoy them now.
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2/5/2012 - MDRwinos wrote: 87 Points
Decent Zin, still a bit tanic even after opening for 1 hour. You can do worse, but you can do better.
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11/21/2011 - Clarkmeister wrote: 89 Points
Good fruit, big and (standard for all 2006's from Napa) hugely tannic. Held up very well to chili.
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9/8/2011 - jmoulder wrote: 92 Points
Still improving with age. I like this bottle a touch more than the last one from this vintage.
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3/13/2011 - pikemasterflash wrote: 94 Points
I simply can't get enough of this one or say enough great things. Candy apple red in the glass with both a sweet and smokey nose. This is simply delicious and must be made from some type of melted heavenly candy.
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1/14/2011 - pikemasterflash wrote: 94 Points
Not sure what else I can say other than, this is still my favorite Zin of all time.
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12/12/2010 - RSTAR4 wrote: 91 Points
Spice on the nose, with berry fruit and pepper on the mid-palate. Nice finish, with hints of hard candy. Although a little hot at first, alcohol and tannins smoothed out nicely after about 45 minute decant. Constructed more in an old-world style, with more complexity than many of the more common fruity modern California zinfandels. Good wine for the price.
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10/18/2010 - pikemasterflash wrote: 94 Points
Still my absolute favorite Zin of all time. I love everything about this wine from the way it looks in the glass, to its smell to its candied taste. Drinking fabulous right now.
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8/23/2010 - DougSamuel wrote: 88 Points
Disappointing. We LOVED this wine at the vineyard last summer. Then it was just bursting with bright fruit and luscious mouthcoating body. However, tonight we pulled it from our cellar/fridge and then decanted. From the beginning it was somewhat closed with an oaky, cherry nose and palate. We assumed it would open as it warmed and got some air. However, we now sit here after 90+ minutes with the last of the bottle and remain underwhelmed. The best word we can think of is flat. It is medium bodied and even watery, with somewhat harsh tannins and lacks the life that we recall. There is currant, coffee, and cherry, but not a whole lot more. Certainly not particularly complex or worthy of being a $30-40 zin. Sad.
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8/18/2010 - pikemasterflash wrote: 93 Points
Love this wine. Sweet like candy without the harshness I would typically associate with a Zin
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5/28/2010 - CasaHernandez wrote:
I thought this was delicious. Smooth, rich, sweet without too much sugar, bold enough without too much pepper. Seriously wish I had more of this because this bottle was not enough. Great wine, if you have it, you will enjoy if you like zins. Amazing.
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5/18/2010 - pikemasterflash wrote: 93 Points
Description repeats. I love this wine but find myself at a loss as to better describe it. It is sweet, but not overpowering. It is light in the glass like a pinot, but with gusto. Sad to see another one fall but it always exceeds my expectations.
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4/24/2010 - jmoulder Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice smooth zin. good fruit. Flavor profile contains more black fruits than the typical zins that tend towards red fruits. More full bodies as well. A zin cab drinkers would prefer.
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4/24/2010 - Clarkmeister wrote: 91 Points
Such a great deal.
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2/8/2010 - pikemasterflash wrote: 93 Points
Same note as last time.
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1/29/2010 - pikemasterflash wrote: 93 Points
Wow, what a treat. I remember tasting this one at the vineyard and thinking it was the most memorable wine from the day (and I generally would say I prefer Cab to Zin). This bottle confirms my original recollection and maybe even better. The operative word throughout the life of the bottle was "smooth" and none of the harshness or spicey tones that often dominate a Zin. I don't have a lot of Zins to compare to but I can say without question I prefer this to any Turley, Biale or Dashe I have had. Even my wife who is can be quite fickle about anything that isn't middle of the fairway for her palate loved it.
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11/21/2009 - cowtownguy wrote: 90 Points
Continues to impress. Will likely age well for another year or two.
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11/12/2009 - acox wrote:
Agree totally with mmurry's notes. Pronounced chocolate aroma and on the palate. Spice, berrries and vanilla. Well balanced.
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9/5/2009 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
WIML90-91
Tasted September 5, 2009 at a retail tasting.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of rose petals, red currants and a dash of coffee. Flavors of raspberries, berries and cherries. Light to medium acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium body. Drink or hold.
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9/5/2009 - mmurry wrote: 93 Points
Barbeque Wines (Farpointe Cellar): The nose was very chocolatey, and also had blackberry, spice, and a touch of vanilla. The palate was soft, and had blackberry, chocolate, spice, and a slightly oaky finish.
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8/20/2009 - bigdogflow wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Nice taste with dark berries and a nice chocolate note. Medium finish.
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7/26/2009 - TwoDogs wrote: 88 Points
we're going to wait a while before uncorking another...we're hoping the wine will improve--it seems very young at this stage.
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3/28/2009 - mmurry wrote: 89 Points
Zinfandel, The Other Red Wine! (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had raspberry, cherry, earth, pepper, and vanilla. The palate had raspberry, plum, cherry, pepper, and spice.
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3/15/2009 - Badfish wrote: 89 Points
2009 Family Winemakers of California San Diego Tasting (Del Mar Fairgrounds): Sweet and zingy on the nose with berry aromas such as raspberry. The palate offers sweet spicy fruit throughout. Fresh and balanced yet not a lot of stuffing.
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2/13/2009 - Clarkmeister wrote: 89 Points
Tight as a drum, needs lots of air. Had an interesting carmel flavor up front, nice balance. Will be really nice with time.
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12/25/2008 - CasaHernandez wrote:
Great zin. Lots of fruit, great with steak.
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11/9/2008 - Clarkmeister wrote: 90 Points
November 2008 Napa Trip; 11/7/2008-11/10/2008 (Napa): With dinner at Bouchon. Needs lots of air. Nice big spicy zin.
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9/28/2008 - GZ3 wrote: 89 Points
raspberry, strawberry notes with a little bit of an acidic tangy finish that took away a little of it's potential. did not decant.
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