Initially bold and ferrous this needed about an hour to meld together. The nose is fruity and briary, with dark berry, vanilla, oak spice, and pastille aromas. Ultimately it evolves into balance and restraint, with tar and crushed rocks imbuing the expansive, dark fruited palate. Good resonance too.
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decanted for an hour before drinking, rich dark fruit, berry flavors, more oak than most zins (hence the cab lover's zin comments), earthy, with soft tannins
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This was much more disappointing than my memory of the first bottle I had. Sour, unbalanced, and generally plain. Was quite unhappy, especially considering the price.
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I've heard this referred to as the "cab-lovers" Zinfandel, and that's not far off the mark. Dark purple color, soft tannins.Rich and fruity, but not jammy. Smoothly nuanced, and laden with varietal fruit, it is unusually muted for a zin. Nice wine.
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I'm generally a big fan of this wine, however, over extracted is a good definition for it. Smooth, velvety but very much lacks the intensity of a zin. Very slight pepper, berries, thick with a hint of vanilla. Missing complexity of a zin.
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Dark red violet color; aromatic, tar, black fruit, plum nose; rich, black fruit, plum, black cherry, tar palate with some balancing acidity; medium-plus finish
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84/14/2 Zin/Petite Sirah/Cab Sauv. Medium nose shows raspberry, blueberry, baking spice, cedar, white pepper. Palate is all about the fruit, layers of red and blue, some blackberry as well, spice is there, might have a touch of RS or it's just jammy. Not too jammy though, no signs of raisins like many Zins. Alcohol is medium plus, shows well, medium tannins drop off quick, heat on the finish. Good example of type.
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Drinking now after nearly 2 hours and the wine continues to hummmmm
Smooth and very velvety for a Zinfandel. No sign of spice or pepper and yet when in mouth the wines depth emerges with a smooth and powerful punch of dark Berry and spice Wonderful !
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A rich and expressive Zinfandel. Better than the last tasting and I must say that this wine could improve further. There seems to be some French oak at play here which adds enormous complexity. This wine followed a meiomi Pinot which was fine until I had this wine which blew it away.
Forward flavors of melancholy berries surrounded by methane infused cherry pie. Smooth and velvety mouthfeel.
This is worth finding and tasting. Better than most zin's.
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I can sense the french oak at play here from the start. A modestly well produced zinfandel dominated by its dark berry jam. The finish is medium length with lingering flavors of chocolate and a peppery vegetable flavor. Probably some room to improve.
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Blind California Reds: Bright purple color. Rich aromatic display of dark berry fruit, a bit jammy but it smells pure and vibrant, not confectioned. I also get some pepper glaze, sweet coffee and mixed green herbs. Full-bodied, the tannins provide structure but they’re not harsh, moderate acidity cleans up the palate. Lots of different fruit action going on here (blueberry, black cherry, sweet plums), and a nice mix of earth, fallen leaves, cola, root beer, dark chocolate. This wine leans forward with its fruit and hedonistic flavors but it’s structured very well and contains some significant complexity. Drink now or hold for a few years. Aged 16 months in 1/3 new French oak.
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2/23/2022 - radumas Likes this wine: 95 Points
Elegant, complex, mature. Claret like. The alcohol is not experienced at all. Such a delightful surprise
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12/12/2020 - Dr Burt wrote:
JK
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11/1/2020 - azcowino Likes this wine: 89 Points
Juicy zin; lacking in spice and pepper, but a smooth flavor. A nice zin.
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9/19/2020 - Dr Burt wrote:
Owens
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8/21/2020 - roxles Likes this wine:
Okay. Simple
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6/18/2020 - bschleg Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is an excellent Zin. Not to heavy but great fruit flavors.
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5/30/2020 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 87 Points
Pleasing and friendly, with plenty of dark currant and plum as well as oak-y vanilla. Not as layered as some wines, but packs plenty of fun.
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5/5/2019 - r4Cali Likes this wine: 91 Points
Easy drinker and great QPR
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4/2/2018 - Baron Slick wrote: 90 Points
Initially bold and ferrous this needed about an hour to meld together. The nose is fruity and briary, with dark berry, vanilla, oak spice, and pastille aromas. Ultimately it evolves into balance and restraint, with tar and crushed rocks imbuing the expansive, dark fruited palate. Good resonance too.
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11/11/2017 - mark.gularte@gmail.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
decanted for an hour before drinking, rich dark fruit, berry flavors, more oak than most zins (hence the cab lover's zin comments), earthy, with soft tannins
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10/4/2017 - zack.wygant Likes this wine: 89 Points
Goes down almost too quickly...
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8/26/2017 - BaronsPaw wrote: 82 Points
This was much more disappointing than my memory of the first bottle I had. Sour, unbalanced, and generally plain. Was quite unhappy, especially considering the price.
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8/24/2017 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
From the benjamin valley floor vineyard.
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8/19/2017 - BernieMSY wrote: 90 Points
I've heard this referred to as the "cab-lovers" Zinfandel, and that's not far off the mark. Dark purple color, soft tannins.Rich and fruity, but not jammy. Smoothly nuanced, and laden with varietal fruit, it is unusually muted for a zin. Nice wine.
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5/19/2017 - WineNot? wrote: 88 Points
I'm generally a big fan of this wine, however, over extracted is a good definition for it. Smooth, velvety but very much lacks the intensity of a zin. Very slight pepper, berries, thick with a hint of vanilla. Missing complexity of a zin.
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2/26/2017 - Margaux Bro wrote: 92 Points
Always a crowd pleaser. A bit over extracted but it doesn't bother me. The high alcohol content creeps up on you while drinking.
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2/23/2017 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Dark red violet color; aromatic, tar, black fruit, plum nose; rich, black fruit, plum, black cherry, tar palate with some balancing acidity; medium-plus finish
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1/31/2017 - GTFreek wrote:
84/14/2 Zin/Petite Sirah/Cab Sauv. Medium nose shows raspberry, blueberry, baking spice, cedar, white pepper. Palate is all about the fruit, layers of red and blue, some blackberry as well, spice is there, might have a touch of RS or it's just jammy. Not too jammy though, no signs of raisins like many Zins. Alcohol is medium plus, shows well, medium tannins drop off quick, heat on the finish. Good example of type.
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12/5/2016 - tomoem wrote: 92 Points
Drinking now after nearly 2 hours and the wine continues to hummmmm
Smooth and very velvety for a Zinfandel. No sign of spice or pepper and yet when in mouth the wines depth emerges with a smooth and powerful punch of dark Berry and spice Wonderful !
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12/5/2016 - tomoem Likes this wine: 92 Points
A rich and expressive Zinfandel. Better than the last tasting and I must say that this wine could improve further. There seems to be some French oak at play here which adds enormous complexity. This wine followed a meiomi Pinot which was fine until I had this wine which blew it away.
Forward flavors of melancholy berries surrounded by methane infused cherry pie. Smooth and velvety mouthfeel.
This is worth finding and tasting. Better than most zin's.
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11/18/2016 - tomoem wrote: 89 Points
I can sense the french oak at play here from the start. A modestly well produced zinfandel dominated by its dark berry jam. The finish is medium length with lingering flavors of chocolate and a peppery vegetable flavor. Probably some room to improve.
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5/21/2016 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 90 Points
Blind California Reds: Bright purple color. Rich aromatic display of dark berry fruit, a bit jammy but it smells pure and vibrant, not confectioned. I also get some pepper glaze, sweet coffee and mixed green herbs. Full-bodied, the tannins provide structure but they’re not harsh, moderate acidity cleans up the palate. Lots of different fruit action going on here (blueberry, black cherry, sweet plums), and a nice mix of earth, fallen leaves, cola, root beer, dark chocolate. This wine leans forward with its fruit and hedonistic flavors but it’s structured very well and contains some significant complexity. Drink now or hold for a few years. Aged 16 months in 1/3 new French oak.
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5/14/2016 - BentonWine wrote: 91 Points
Very enjoyable, easy to drink alone or with food. Nice jam taste, fruity aroma
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