Not quite sure what's going on for the tasting notes of this wine, but I am here to help correct this a little. This wine is horrible. My wife and myself are avid wine drinkers, while my inlaws are very introductory wine folk. As it turns out, even my cheap inlaws had no problem dumping this wine out, and I can assure everyone that the bottle had not gone bad, it was just a pathetic attempt at wine making. American Zin's in the 90 range are comparable to that offered by caymus. Anyone reading these forums looking for the next great inexpensive bottle should ignore almost every post below mine as I promise you the best part of this bottle was the 20 seconds of watching it flush down the drain.
PS after this train wreck we opened a 2011 St. Michelle Syrah, which was delightful and confirmed our assumptions about this NV Zin.
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Clear, deep ruby red with a pink halo. Intense but straghtforward, fruity nose. Medium body, balanced without any salient structural components, almost silky texture at this stage. Sweet, fruity, flavorful, grapey character with blackcurrant, blackberry notes. Very enjoyable, everyday wine. Appropriate as an aperitif or as an accompany to a meal, from white to red meat.
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This is a great 'pop n' pour' zin. Definitely doesn't benefit from decanting, but a great end of the night, pizza, burger, cheesesteak wine. Spicy raspberries and jammy. Really enjoyed it!
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Not decanted, and I only had a small pour. This did not strike me as overly jammy, which was a nice surprise. Its simple flavors were reminiscent of dark berries and bramble, but it was also sort of smoky/ashy in a way I didn't quite like. The finish was a bit hot, and the acids stuck out at this stage. Okay with pizza, and (I suspect) comparable to most zins in this price range, but I wouldn't seek it out again.
Update from Day 2: Seems more candied and/or manufactured tonight. Disjointed. Slightly bitter. I don't dump wine, and I nearly dumped this. Not good, and the score now reflects the average of both days.
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You know what, I'm going against the grain on this one and giving it an 88. Maybe it's because I'm going through my annual zin phase, but for $10, this has a great QPA. Good spice and young. Don't think it will last long, but good pop and pour wine with pizza, cheesesteaks and the lot.
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Quite nice for the price. Enjoyed with simple spagetti & marinara. Opened up a bit with aeration. Divergence of opinion seems to stem from reviewers using totally different yardsticks of measure for this unassuming zin. You get what you pay for and maybe a little bit more here.
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Used Aerator. Color looks uncomplicated, color depth unimpressive. First blush: acidy with alcohol aftertaste. Fruit is immature and biting w/ heavy rasberry. Didn't feel compelled to even finish my glass, found myself wondering if it would even work with marinating lamb for ShishKebab (probably because of all the acidity)
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Not very "traditional" Zin, kinda fruit-bomb-y, but very nice flavors, and a great bargain ... compares quite favorably with Rosenblum's pricier vintage selections.
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I love this wine. Lots of red fruit with a bit of spice and some vanilla from the oak on the finish. Very well made wine. If you love fruity wines, you'll love this wine!
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Great QPR. Nice deep red color in the glass. Bright red fruit on the nose, like raspberry jam and cherry pie, with some dusty earth. Big fruit flavors as with all of KR's wines. Spicy red fruit jam with some gravel and limestone. Not my favorite Rosenblum but for $9.99/bottle, I like to have this around for a week-night drinker. Pairs well with lots of different foods, like pizza, barbecue/smoked beef, ribs, marinara and meat sauces. A versatile, inexpensive wine. Love visiting the Alameda winery. I'm a believer in Kent Rosenblum.
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Heavy on the fruit & spice, as with most Zins. Not the most memorable Zin (or Rosenblum) but a good value, especially when on sale for $10. Good basic everyday drinker.
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Wild berries, woody herbs, damp cellar on nose. Lots of ripe cherries on palate. Fairly round, but a little flabby. The bottom drops out toward the finish, but some fruit does persists for a decent length.
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14.5% alcohol. Really solid value here for less than $10. Dark red color. Simple nose of spicy fruit with a slight jammy edge. In the mouth, uncomplicated but a really nice drink. Pure fruit, plenty of acidity, and a good dose of spice that gives the wine some complexity. B+
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7/27/2017 - yatchisin wrote: 86 Points
Solid for the price, some light jammy notes and mild spice. Good mid-week zin.
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6/6/2017 - David Bryant wrote:
A bit tanic on front end. Needed to open up. Got smoother as time went by, despite being quite fruity. Not the worst Zin.
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5/8/2015 - LSWhidbey Does not like this wine:
Horrible
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7/28/2014 - TightLettuce Does not like this wine: 74 Points
Not quite sure what's going on for the tasting notes of this wine, but I am here to help correct this a little. This wine is horrible. My wife and myself are avid wine drinkers, while my inlaws are very introductory wine folk. As it turns out, even my cheap inlaws had no problem dumping this wine out, and I can assure everyone that the bottle had not gone bad, it was just a pathetic attempt at wine making. American Zin's in the 90 range are comparable to that offered by caymus. Anyone reading these forums looking for the next great inexpensive bottle should ignore almost every post below mine as I promise you the best part of this bottle was the 20 seconds of watching it flush down the drain.
PS after this train wreck we opened a 2011 St. Michelle Syrah, which was delightful and confirmed our assumptions about this NV Zin.
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4/27/2013 - BSchrag wrote: 88 Points
Great drink for the price. Go to Zin when I want something tasty without breaking the bank. Your friends will think you paid a whole lot more.
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4/6/2013 - RMapou Likes this wine: 83 Points
Decent for the price. Liked it better in the past.
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1/22/2013 - Flamemark wrote: 87 Points
Great value
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11/1/2012 - jvanasco wrote: 89 Points
Great everyday zin
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9/14/2012 - CPA_SLP wrote: 87 Points
Nose- Currant, blackberries, dark fruit
Taste- Jammy, blackberry, cassis- neded to open awhile
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9/3/2012 - Bebum wrote: 89 Points
Clear, deep ruby red with a pink halo. Intense but straghtforward, fruity nose. Medium body, balanced without any salient structural components, almost silky texture at this stage. Sweet, fruity, flavorful, grapey character with blackcurrant, blackberry notes. Very enjoyable, everyday wine. Appropriate as an aperitif or as an accompany to a meal, from white to red meat.
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8/22/2012 - scarce10 wrote: 89 Points
Great drinkin zin! What a wonderful QPA. Raspberry and spice and everything nice.
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8/9/2012 - scarce10 wrote: 89 Points
This is a great 'pop n' pour' zin. Definitely doesn't benefit from decanting, but a great end of the night, pizza, burger, cheesesteak wine. Spicy raspberries and jammy. Really enjoyed it!
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8/9/2012 - bretrooks wrote: 79 Points
Not decanted, and I only had a small pour. This did not strike me as overly jammy, which was a nice surprise. Its simple flavors were reminiscent of dark berries and bramble, but it was also sort of smoky/ashy in a way I didn't quite like. The finish was a bit hot, and the acids stuck out at this stage. Okay with pizza, and (I suspect) comparable to most zins in this price range, but I wouldn't seek it out again.
Update from Day 2: Seems more candied and/or manufactured tonight. Disjointed. Slightly bitter. I don't dump wine, and I nearly dumped this. Not good, and the score now reflects the average of both days.
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8/6/2012 - scarce10 wrote: 88 Points
You know what, I'm going against the grain on this one and giving it an 88. Maybe it's because I'm going through my annual zin phase, but for $10, this has a great QPA. Good spice and young. Don't think it will last long, but good pop and pour wine with pizza, cheesesteaks and the lot.
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7/21/2012 - socidelvino wrote: 86 Points
Eye: deep inky garnet. Nose: dried fruit, berries, smoke. Palate: juicy, solid tannins, a bit acidic but softened with time. Good value.
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7/15/2012 - JumpAroundOnGrapes wrote: 86 Points
Surprisingly drinkable for $8. Very ripe fruit. Big alcohol. Good QPR. As usual, perfect for pizza.
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4/15/2012 - Luvtexwine wrote: 83 Points
Quite nice for the price. Enjoyed with simple spagetti & marinara. Opened up a bit with aeration. Divergence of opinion seems to stem from reviewers using totally different yardsticks of measure for this unassuming zin. You get what you pay for and maybe a little bit more here.
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3/28/2012 - whoosey wrote: 92 Points
Very Good
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3/15/2012 - showard wrote: 87 Points
Very nice daily drinker. Best $5.99 wine I've had in awhile. Soft, fruit forward.
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3/3/2012 - Xanabella wrote: 74 Points
Used Aerator. Color looks uncomplicated, color depth unimpressive. First blush: acidy with alcohol aftertaste. Fruit is immature and biting w/ heavy rasberry. Didn't feel compelled to even finish my glass, found myself wondering if it would even work with marinating lamb for ShishKebab (probably because of all the acidity)
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2/16/2012 - wmazanec wrote: 85 Points
A good Zin. Doesn't stack up against Joel Gott. Not bad. Good thing there's more to try.
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2/16/2012 - Ganello wrote: 74 Points
Super sugary not much smell
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2/6/2012 - Siddhartha wrote: 82 Points
Average
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1/26/2012 - with_1 wrote: 87 Points
Great qpr. Smokey dark fruit with some alcohol on the nose. Decanting will ease the alcohol smell and open the wine up.
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12/31/2011 - gabereilly wrote: 86 Points
Excellent value. One of the best California Zins. Definitely the best non vintage.
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11/15/2011 - foobarski wrote: 88 Points
Not very "traditional" Zin, kinda fruit-bomb-y, but very nice flavors, and a great bargain ... compares quite favorably with Rosenblum's pricier vintage selections.
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11/11/2011 - BravoPapa Likes this wine: 92 Points
I love this wine. Lots of red fruit with a bit of spice and some vanilla from the oak on the finish. Very well made wine. If you love fruity wines, you'll love this wine!
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11/11/2011 - tjdripper wrote: 84 Points
Great QPR. Nice deep red color in the glass. Bright red fruit on the nose, like raspberry jam and cherry pie, with some dusty earth. Big fruit flavors as with all of KR's wines. Spicy red fruit jam with some gravel and limestone. Not my favorite Rosenblum but for $9.99/bottle, I like to have this around for a week-night drinker. Pairs well with lots of different foods, like pizza, barbecue/smoked beef, ribs, marinara and meat sauces. A versatile, inexpensive wine. Love visiting the Alameda winery. I'm a believer in Kent Rosenblum.
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11/10/2011 - JenXH wrote: 84 Points
Heavy on the fruit & spice, as with most Zins. Not the most memorable Zin (or Rosenblum) but a good value, especially when on sale for $10. Good basic everyday drinker.
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10/20/2011 - adp Likes this wine: 84 Points
popped and poured and thought eww. let it air out. much better over the next two hours.
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8/18/2011 - jeremy_ross wrote: 84 Points
Wild berries, woody herbs, damp cellar on nose. Lots of ripe cherries on palate. Fairly round, but a little flabby. The bottom drops out toward the finish, but some fruit does persists for a decent length.
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7/22/2011 - gutt22 wrote:
14.5% alcohol. Really solid value here for less than $10. Dark red color. Simple nose of spicy fruit with a slight jammy edge. In the mouth, uncomplicated but a really nice drink. Pure fruit, plenty of acidity, and a good dose of spice that gives the wine some complexity. B+
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6/18/2011 - Jstiles674 wrote: 73 Points
Drinkable, but that is where the good stops. No body or memorable flavors.
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6/15/2011 - MRD Colorado Likes this wine: 83 Points
Fruity, shallow, not much finish, yet pleasurable sipping wine. Good mix of undercurrents.
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4/20/2011 - BobMilton Likes this wine: 86 Points
Decent everyday drinker, though rather simple and a touch jammy.
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