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Vintages
2005

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 Vintage2005
TypeRed
ProducerCameron Hughes (web)
VarietyZinfandel
DesignationLot 43
Vineyardn/a
CountryUSA
RegionCalifornia
SubRegionSonoma County
AppellationDry Creek Valley
OptionsShow variety and appellation
UPC Code858517000439

Community Tasting History

Community Tasting Notes (average 88 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 55 notes)

 Tasted by knops on 1/14/2010 & rated 89 points: (90 views)
 Tasted by knops on 12/22/2009 & rated 89 points: (163 views)
 Tasted by knops on 12/22/2009 & rated 89 points: (163 views)
 Tasted by knops on 12/14/2009 & rated 89 points: (182 views)
 Tasted by knops on 12/2/2009 & rated 89 points: (232 views)
 Tasted by knops on 11/4/2009 & rated 89 points: (297 views)
 Tasted by knops on 8/19/2009 & rated 89 points: (439 views)
 Tasted by knops on 6/11/2009 & rated 89 points: (539 views)
 Tasted by wordstar on 4/9/2009 & rated 89 points: Holding up well, drinks smoothly from first to last glass, very solid Zin - nothing truly outstanding, but still a great value. (787 views)
 Tasted by knops on 4/3/2009 & rated 87 points: (691 views)
 Tasted by RogerO on 3/2/2009 & rated 84 points: (774 views)
 Tasted by LynnMJ on 1/23/2009 & rated 87 points: Very clear garnet color, not giving up much aromatically after aerating, just got a little dark fruit and white pepper. Initial taste on the palate reveals well-integrated heat and mild cherry-plum flavors. Really quite elegant, perhaps showing of its origins in Dry Creek Valley. Medium length finish. Not much robustness as I expect to find in a Zin, but its pleasant enough. (862 views)
 Tasted by knops on 11/30/2008 & rated 87 points: (760 views)
 Tasted by knops on 11/1/2008 & rated 87 points: (774 views)
 Tasted by payneclay on 10/2/2008 & rated 89 points: (852 views)
 Tasted by rickerm on 9/1/2008 & rated 88 points: Enjoyable wine. Some pepper, hint of sweetness, some fruitiness - maybe cherry. Long finish. It does have a diminutive noise. It is very drinkable right now. (1060 views)
 Tasted by hudamang on 8/19/2008 & rated 86 points: Stylistically correct. Went well with my burgers but it wasn't very exciting. (1072 views)
 Tasted by payneclay on 7/31/2008 & rated 89 points: (898 views)
 Tasted by Anonymous on 7/23/2008: A bit too sweet for me. It had spicy peppery brambly notes. It went well with BBQ ribs. (1131 views)
 Tasted by Anonymous on 7/22/2008 & rated 88 points: (952 views)
 Tasted by BrewWench on 7/5/2008 & rated 85 points: Black cherry at the start of the mouth, pepper at the end. I agree with the previous entry - it did get nicer after some time. (1401 views)
 Tasted by Acohen on 7/3/2008 & rated 89 points: Smooth with slight pepper and nice dark fruit. Much better after an hour (1401 views)
 Tasted by NaturalizedTexan on 6/30/2008 & rated 89 points: An excellent value for a zinfandel that is well above average (1426 views)
 Tasted by NaturalizedTexan on 6/30/2008 & rated 89 points: Subtle fruit and nice pepper. It needed time to breathe before drinking. Definite improvement after an hour. (1338 views)
 Tasted by lagniappe on 4/27/2008: This was great. Peppery, rather dark, I would say. Just a lovely, affordable zin. (1759 views)
 Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine...

CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles)
Producer website
Winery says:
 
Vintage: 2005
Appellation: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma
Grape: 80% Zinfandel, 15% Syrah, 5% Petite Syrah
Alcohol by volume: 15%
Production: 7,000 cases
Release date: August 30, 2007
Availability: August 2007
 
Taste: This is classically styled Dry Creek Zinfandel and probably even more elegant given the long, cool growing season of 2005. The nose smacks of boysenberry, raspberry and plum and is underpinned with black pepper notes that will become more forward as the zin and syrah continue to meld in the bottle. The palate is fleshy and ripe and full-bodied showing raspberry fruit and vanilla oak. The finish is lush and lingering.
 
Cameron Confidential: There are several wines seamlessly woven together for this wine, three zins, one syrah, and 1 petite sirah. All are from $20+ producers. The 2005 harvest was not only one of the largest in history for CA, but it was also one of the longest. Zin grapes didn’t come in until the end of October and into November and a more elegant style became the hallmark of the vintage. Quite frankly, a lot of folks fell short as needed heat spikes failed to materialize. That’s where our flexible buying model allows us to excel. Rather than try to work with only the fruit and wines that we have, Cameron Hughes Wine is able to bring component wines from multiple sources together to achieve a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The combination of raspberry fruit and black pepper from the zin blend melds beautifully with the ripe fruit and American oak influenced Syrah. Petite sirah muscles up the blend further and provides length and tannin.
 
As of August 2007, when I last tasted this wine, it had just emerged from bottle shock and was pretty much ready to go. By the time this stuff hits the street in about a month it should be singin’.

About red wine
ZAP: Zinfandel Advocates & Producers | Varietal character (Appellation America) | Wikipedia-Zinfandel
WineAmerica (National Association of American Wineries) | Free the Grapes!
California Wines (Wine Institute of California)

California is one of the most diverse wine regions in the world, with almost 100 grape varieties grown in almost 10 viticultural areas, including dozens of ­different microclimates and soil types, as well as a very individualistic set of ­winemakers, many with international experience, which adds to and deepens that diversity.
Sonoma County Vintners
Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley | Dry Creek Valley Association | Appellation America | San Francisco Chronicle Article

 
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