42nd Annual Zinfandel Retrospective - the 2015s

R&D's
Tasted Sunday, May 28, 2023 by AllRed with 104 views

Introduction

For the first time since COVID, we gathered for the annual zinfandel retrospective. The hosts provide a lineup of zinfandels in brown bags, arranged randomly. We know the vintage, but not the producers. We taste the wines in a single flight and each taster ranks the wines in order of preference. The votes are tallied and unveiled, beginning with the group's least favorite wine (highest total score).

Flight 1 - Warm ups (5 Notes)

Enjoyed nonblind with a variety of hors d'oeuvres. When the event changed from a ten-year retrospective, our host made a point of including at least a couple of ten-year-olds as another set of warm ups to transition to the main flight.

Flight 2 - 2015s (9 Notes)

  • 2015 Ridge Geyserville 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

    Blind. Notes of black raspberry, cardamom, cumin and pepper. The fruit becomes brighter and more forward as this opens in the glass. Develops clay and mocha elements with additional air. Bright red fruit and raspberry with a spicy/peppery finish. Good, if seemingly simple by comparison to many of the others in the lineup. 88+ pts. (R&D)

    My #6, Domino's #3
    Group #8, 55 pts

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  • 2015 Robert Biale Zinfandel Black Chicken 86 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oak Knoll District

    Blind. Aromas of vanilla, raspberry, currants and herbs. Flavors of raspberry and briary red fruit and pepper. Develops a deli meat aroma, something akin to bologna, that I find distracting. Vanilla, red fruit and pepper finish. (R&D)

    My #9, Domino's #2
    Group #6, 52 pts

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  • 2015 Carlisle Zinfandel Montafi Ranch 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Blind. Aromas of macerated cherry, red briary fruit and spice. Picks up pepper and herb notes with air. Flavors of red berry fruit, white pepper and currants. Balanced. Finishes with nice length. There's an elegance here that I really like. 92-93 pts. (R&D)

    My #1, Domino's #1
    Group #7, 53 pts

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  • 2015 Turley Zinfandel Duarte 88 Points

    USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa County

    Blind. Aromas of earth, red and black fruit and dried herbs. Flavors of chocolate and ripe red berry fruit. The herb and chocolate qualities stand out more the longer this sits in the glass. (R&D)

    My #5, Domino's #5
    Group #1, 41 pts

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  • 2015 Turley Zinfandel Estate 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Blind. Aromas of dark zin fruit, pine sap and herbs- almost garrigue-like, becoming brighter and more candied as it sits. Flavors of red fruit, sap, pepper and herbs. Red fruit and herbaceous elements carry the finish. (R&D)

    My #4, Domino's #6
    Group #3, 44 pts

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  • 2015 Fontanella Family Wines Zinfandel 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Blind. Another that is quite herbaceous, along with black raspberry, clay and boysenberry aromas. White currant, cherry and pepper notes emerge with air. Full-bodied, spicy and rich, with loads of peppery zin fruit. (R&D)

    My #2, Domino's #9
    Group #5, 49 pts

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  • 2015 Ridge Zinfandel Dusi Ranch 89 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Blind. Notes of clay, boysenberry and beef jerky spices- meaty. Flavors of raspberry, boysenberry and pepper. Develops a chocolate note with air. Raspberry and spice rub elements in the finish. (R&D)

    My #7, Domino's #8
    Group #9, 66 pts

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  • 2015 Prisoner Wine Company Saldo 88 Points

    USA, California

    Blind. Aromas of chocolate, vanilla, black zin fruit and dried herbs. Flavors of raspberry, boysenberry, plum, pepper and chocolate. Lacks a little in the midpalate and finish, but otherwise decent. (R&D)

    My #8, Domino's #7
    Group #2, 43 pts

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  • 2015 Rockpile Winery (Mauritson) Zinfandel Rockpile Ridge Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Rockpile

    Blind. Aromas of black fruit, cherry, blueberry and pepper. Lush, with boysenberry, black raspberry and dark zin fruit, with a nice peppery element that lingers on the finish. Balanced. Good ripe fruit without being overdone. (R&D)

    My #3, Domino's #4
    Group #4, 47 pts

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Flight 3 - Dinner/dessert wines (6 Notes)

Enjoyed nonblind with brisket, slaw and a pasta salad.

  • 2013 Chateau Montelena Zinfandel 92 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Calistoga

    Double decanted off its sediment and served with dinner 3.5 hours later. Light red color. Aromas of red berry fruit, cherry and white currants with floral undertones. Balanced. Elegant. Flavors of cherry, currants and pepper. No need to rush on these, though it is drinking beautifully now.

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  • 2015 Chateau Montelena Zinfandel 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Calistoga

    Double decanted off its sediment and served with dinner 3.5 hours later. Light red color. A bit bigger than the '13, showing more red plum and raspberry than anything else, along with vanilla and pepper notes. Abundant elegant red zin fruit and pepper on the palate with a lingering finish.

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  • 2020 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines 89 Points

    USA, California

    Dark color. Red zin fruit with plenty of spice underneath. Ripe but not overly so, this actually shows some restraint. Nice. 89+ pts. (R&S)

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  • 2017 Hamel Family Wines Hamel Family Ranch 93 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

    A blend of sauvignon and franc, showing aromas of red plum, black currants, licorice, vanilla and barrel spice. Balanced, with dark cabernet fruit, brown sugar, currants and mocha. Lingering finish. Excellent. (R&R)

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  • 1998 Château Climens 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

    Deep honey gold color with notes of apricot, marmalade and peach blossoms. Tropical fruit and pineapple flavors with a long finish. Excellent. (R&D)

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  • NV Broadbent Madeira Verdelho 10 Years Old 93 Points

    Portugal, Madeira

    Light color. Notes of toffee, pear liqueur and stone fruit. Rich and layered, with flavors of toffee, caramel, fig and pear. Excellent. (J&J)

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Closing

As always, R&D went above and beyond in hosting this fun holiday weekend event. Many thanks to them and all of the attendees for a wonderful evening- we were very excited to get back on track and look forward to continuing the retrospective next year.

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