Clear bright ruby color. Spice-toned nose with raspberries, red cherries and sweet red licorice. Fine tannins and medium acid on the palate. Raspberry and red plum fruit dominates, and there’s a lot of spice, earth, chestnut and eucalyptus. A nice brisk finish. Pure and lively. 75% Zinfandel and 25% “mixed blacks” aged 19 months in 30% new French oak.
Clear light rub color. Black cherries in the nose, not as expressive as the Old Hill or Belloni. Nice tanginess to the acid, lighter tannins, but nicely drying. Red currants and plums, tangy, some clay-earth notes. A bit weak perhaps, but tasty. 100% Zin, 19 months in 25% new French oak.
A darker ruby-purple color. Dark aromatics of caramel and brown sugar on top of plums, charcoal, violets, bell pepper and smoke. Grippy on the palate, with firm tannins and flreshy fruit. Mushroom and leather notes mix with the black cherry and blackberry fruit. A blend of 53% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cab Franc and 2% Malbec. Aged 20 months in 40% new French oak.
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Ruby color. Creamy fruit on the nose, red raspberries, black cherries, violets and roses. I like the tangy acid on the palate and the silky tannins. Full of flavor, with plums and ripe raspberries and roses, all fresh and seamless, with earth and smoke and rose accents. Dare I say elegant? A lot of complexity, but it seems ready to drink now. 75% Zinfandel, 25% “mixed blacks” 19 months in 25% new French oak.
Bright medium ruby color. On the nose, I get a whole lot: smoke and charcoal, vanilla and earth, black currant jam, paved street and asphalt, some pepper. Full and glycerin-like on the palate, with black currants and prune fruit. Lots of secondary flavors: earth and iron and mineral, bell pepper and black pepper, asphalt and rocks. Delicious and complex stuff, but I bet this could benefit from a year or two in the cellar.
Dark purple color. Plummy on the nose, currant jam, earth, violets, roses, vanilla and caramel. Incredibly complex nose that evolves a lot. Silky on the palate with fine tannins, beautiful structure and medium acid. Loads of pure berry fruit, along with vanilla bean, coffee, violets, bell pepper and crème brulee. Absolutely delicious, showing some elegance, but I think this is built to last as well. 18 months in 45% new French oak.
Complex aromas of cassis and sweet blackberries, violets, smoke, loam and forest floor. The palate is juicy and full, with solid tannic structure and fresh acid that give this wine a creamy almost inky mouthfeel. A nice mix of blackberries and raspberries on the palate, along with spiced coffee, graphite, caramel and smoke. Opens up a ton in the glass, and I start getting a flavor that makes me think of a fall forest after a big rain. Awesome, so velvety and pure now, but this will do some fun things in the cellar. I liked this bottle even more than the one I tried in March. 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot aged 20 months in 60% new French oak.
2011 Ravenswood Zinfandel Old Hill 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Clear bright ruby color. Spice-toned nose with raspberries, red cherries and sweet red licorice. Fine tannins and medium acid on the palate. Raspberry and red plum fruit dominates, and there’s a lot of spice, earth, chestnut and eucalyptus. A nice brisk finish. Pure and lively. 75% Zinfandel and 25% “mixed blacks” aged 19 months in 30% new French oak.
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2011 Ravenswood Zinfandel Dickerson 85 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Clear light rub color. Black cherries in the nose, not as expressive as the Old Hill or Belloni. Nice tanginess to the acid, lighter tannins, but nicely drying. Red currants and plums, tangy, some clay-earth notes. A bit weak perhaps, but tasty. 100% Zin, 19 months in 25% new French oak.
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2010 Ravenswood Pickberry 87 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain
A darker ruby-purple color. Dark aromatics of caramel and brown sugar on top of plums, charcoal, violets, bell pepper and smoke. Grippy on the palate, with firm tannins and flreshy fruit. Mushroom and leather notes mix with the black cherry and blackberry fruit. A blend of 53% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cab Franc and 2% Malbec. Aged 20 months in 40% new French oak.
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2011 Ravenswood Zinfandel Belloni 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Ruby color. Creamy fruit on the nose, red raspberries, black cherries, violets and roses. I like the tangy acid on the palate and the silky tannins. Full of flavor, with plums and ripe raspberries and roses, all fresh and seamless, with earth and smoke and rose accents. Dare I say elegant? A lot of complexity, but it seems ready to drink now. 75% Zinfandel, 25% “mixed blacks” 19 months in 25% new French oak.
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2010 Grgich Hills Zinfandel 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Bright medium ruby color. On the nose, I get a whole lot: smoke and charcoal, vanilla and earth, black currant jam, paved street and asphalt, some pepper. Full and glycerin-like on the palate, with black currants and prune fruit. Lots of secondary flavors: earth and iron and mineral, bell pepper and black pepper, asphalt and rocks. Delicious and complex stuff, but I bet this could benefit from a year or two in the cellar.
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2010 Gundlach Bundschu Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Dark purple color. Plummy on the nose, currant jam, earth, violets, roses, vanilla and caramel. Incredibly complex nose that evolves a lot. Silky on the palate with fine tannins, beautiful structure and medium acid. Loads of pure berry fruit, along with vanilla bean, coffee, violets, bell pepper and crème brulee. Absolutely delicious, showing some elegance, but I think this is built to last as well. 18 months in 45% new French oak.
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2009 Gundlach Bundschu Vintage Reserve 93 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Complex aromas of cassis and sweet blackberries, violets, smoke, loam and forest floor. The palate is juicy and full, with solid tannic structure and fresh acid that give this wine a creamy almost inky mouthfeel. A nice mix of blackberries and raspberries on the palate, along with spiced coffee, graphite, caramel and smoke. Opens up a ton in the glass, and I start getting a flavor that makes me think of a fall forest after a big rain. Awesome, so velvety and pure now, but this will do some fun things in the cellar. I liked this bottle even more than the one I tried in March. 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot aged 20 months in 60% new French oak.
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