Zins @ The Vineyard

Mystery White: A very nice wine that no one picked … until Gerry said “you talkin about the Chenin” :-) 2005 Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch South Africa.

2006 Hug Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Cedar Lane: Ummm….not so much. Cat pee and grass city … is that a Guns and Roses song? Maybe a year in the bottle will be its friend.

On to the Old Zins…

1993 Ridge Lytton Springs: Still showing signs of life. Not exactly Zin like at this stage but drinking well with food at this stage.

1998 Rosenblum Richard Sauret Vineyard: Its best days are behind it.

1999 Franus Brandlin Vineyard: Again, this wine was really enjoyable about 5 years ago. More proof that the new full throttle Zins need to be drank young.

1999 Joseph Swan Mancini Ranch Mt Olivet RRV: Drinking nicely. More delicate and juicy. Nice acidity.

On to the 2004 Blind Zins…(notes by Darren)

Frogs Leap -- fleeting, white pepper, acid/grip, nice finish with the Humbolt Fog cheese, smoother on the revisit; balanced; tannins

Ridge Panzo (RRV) – “cabby”; “oaky”; silky/velvet; slightly darker in color than #1; tannins, very tart

Thackrey Pleiades XV – Unique nose (a hint of “tar”; almost “pinot” like); lighter color; hot; ripe fruits; metallic; “slutty yet nice” (Gerry) …My bad. I tried to slip in something that with throw everyone for a loop…but I thought there was at least some Zin in there. Well it had everything but Zin :-) Nice wine though. Kind of like a really clean CdP (J)

Ridge Paso Robles Dusi Ranch – pruny; riper fruits; tannins; balanced (front/middle/finish); rich and tart; complement to BBQ ribs; American oak; lingering finish … I really thought this wine was cooked (J)

Carlisle Dry Creek Valley – Massive; “Paso Robles or Carlisle” (Jason); right amount of oak; big/ripe fruits; Syrah-like; peppery; Turley Old Vines?; Napa/Central coast…

Thanks Darren!

The clear winner was the Carlisle. Every person voted it number one.

I took a couple of pictures but the turned out blurry…maybe my camera forgot to spit J

After this tasting I am firmly of the opinion that Zin is at it’s very best when young. I really love older Zins that are made in a leaner style but the full throttle Zins just get hot and pruny. Zins like the Swan and Ridge become more Bordeaux like but are absent of the hard tannins. Interesting.

Cheers!

Jason