Community Tasting Notes 10

• hesnctrl Likes this wine: 89 points

  January 16, 2016 - PnP. Strawberry Kool-Aid in appearance. Nose of bright raspberries and roasted red fruits (interesting, I know...) and cedar. Unlike the last bottle, this one still has sufficient fruit and was downright quaffable. As before, just a beautiful and enjoyable food wine. Sad that this is my last bottle.
  
  Enjoyed in a Riedel Vinum Chianti Classico glass at 60F.

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• hesnctrl wrote: 88 points

  December 24, 2015 - PnP. Very light ruby in color. I'm afraid its lost a bit of its luster as the fruit has taken a back seat to the cedar. Still a good food wine, but not as enjoyable as in years past.
  
  Enjoyed in a Riedel Vinum Chianti Classico glass at 62F.

  Comment

• hesnctrl Likes this wine: 90 points

  November 22, 2014 - Aerated by decanting and pouring back into the bottle about 2 hrs before serving.
  
  Since when do you serve Pinot alongside a Zin and find that the Pinot is the darker, more brooding one and the Zin is the refined, elegant one that pairs so beautifully with the braised pork? That's what happened here. The dish was Cuban Slow-Roasted Pork with Mojo Sauce and the contestants were this 2010 McFadden Zin and a 2009 Black Kite Pinot Noir Kite's Rest.
  
  The McFadden looked like strawberry Kool-Aid compared to the Pinot. Nose was still light like the prior bottle. Lots of stuff going on on the palate, but nothing really dominating. When paired with the pork, the wine excelled at staying in the background and accentuating the dish. It the orchestra that made the soloist shine. Quite a lengthy finish as well. The Kite's Rest, while fantastic on its own, was kinda like U2 taking over a Celine Dion performance.
  
  People call this a food wine, and that's a moniker it fully deserves. Its completely restrained, but in a good way because it knows its role.
  
  Less than half of the dinner guests finished their Kite's Rest. The McFadden was gone quickly...we could've easily finished a 2nd bottle of it.
  
  Enjoyed in a Riedel Vinum Chianti Classico glass at 62F°. I'm giving it a 90 on its own, but pairing it with food, it would be a 95 in terms of the overall experience.

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• hesnctrl Likes this wine: 89 points

  May 24, 2014 - PnV. Perfectly clean cork that was barely stained. Super light and clear. I've seen Grenache Rose's that was this shade.
  
  Nose is light, but there's quite a bit of stuff there. Strawberry, cloves, touch of oak, little bit of orange marmalade (strange, I know). Wish the nose gave up more.
  
  Light and clean. Good acids. Lingering finish. Ok on it's own, but great with Parrano cheese from Holland (like a Gouda). As other's have mentioned, I can see how this would make an excellent food wine.
  
  I don't know why WS gave this an 84. I guess that would make sense if you compare it to the extraction/color of a typical Zin, in which case this would probably be a 64 in Parker's book. But this is a great wine nonetheless. Its nice to come across a Zin I don't have to chew. My biggest knock is it holds back on the nose, so that's keeping it out of 90s territory.
  
  Enjoyed in a Riesling Vinum Chianti Classico glass.

  Comment

• fbrack wrote: 86 points

  September 3, 2013 - Well this was a bit of a disappointment. The nose was nice, but the color was extremely light, far lighter than any Zinfandel I have ever seen. The initial taste was good (the basis for my rating), though not at all like a Zin. Perhaps it was a bit like a strong Beaujolais. A taste a few hours later was definitely not as good, and by the next day it was shot.

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Wine Definition

• Vintage 2010
• Type Red
• Producer McFadden Family Estate Vineyards
• Varietal Zinfandel
• Designation Old Vine Zinfandel
• Vineyard n/a
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion North Coast
• Appellation Mendocino
• UPC Code 037897091156

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 2 (3%)
• In Cellars 17 (29%)
• Consumed 40 (68%)

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