Zinfandel - '99 & '00

Notes and impressions from a Zinfandel tasting - Saturday, October 20, 2001, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Nineteen wines were poured for a tasting fee of $18.

Overall impressions: very nice tasting, with several really good '99s, and a couple of surprise 2000s. The JC Cellars was fabulous, and both the Owen Roe and Sineann were very impressive. I've come to expect good value in Seghesio Zins, but their '99 San Leandro really raises the bar - while still being quite a value. The Chase is also very good.

I thought most of the wines performed about as expected, and the only real disappointment for me was the Howell Mtn Black Sears. The profile of this bottling just seemed a little too not-Zin for me, and at $34 and from pedigreed vineyard, I expected better. Finally, I've had better Blockhedia's than this 2000 offering. Generally, the California bottling is tasty and almost Turleyesque - fat and shapely. This one just seemed fat and flabby.

Individual Tasting Notes, in Order Tasted:

2000 Joel Gott Zinfandel. $11.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Kind of funky, very oaky - almost corky, with a spicy fruit background. Decent fruit and mouthfeel, good balance, long finish.
Aroma score: B- Taste score: B Overall score: B

2000 Blockheadia Ringnosii Zinfandel - California. $13.99. Medium ruby color. Very ripe and grapey in the nose. Sweet ripe and grapey-tasting mouthfeel, medium-long finish; definitely has lots of fruit, but seems fairly flabby across the palate.
Aroma score: B- Taste score: B- Overall score: B-

1999 Norman Zinfandel The Monster - Paso Robles. $17.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Nose of ripe boysenberry and anise, with a hint of raisin, but not overly so. Sweet tasty young mouthfeelvery good balance and very long off-sweet finish that shows just a trace of heat.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Stephen Ross Zinfandel - Dusi Vnyd, Paso Robles. $15.99. Medium garnet color. Nice spicy boysenberry, slightly stemmy. Young mouthfeel, slightly tart-sour and maybe underripe fruit, also feels a bit thin on the palate through long finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B- Overall score: B

1999 Lava Cap Zinfandel Reserve - Amador County. $24.99. Medium garnet color. Floral and beefy at the same time, with notes of cedar, oak and toast. Off-sweet slightly coarse mouthfeel, with good balance, and an somewhat oaky long finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Karly Zinfandel Warrior Fires - Amador County. $18.99. Medium ruby-garnet color. Nose of spicy fruit, cedar and oak. Chewy and young in mouthfeel, with nice toasty fruit, and a long finish that shows a trace of heat.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2000 Sineann Zinfandel Old Vine - Columbia Valley, Washington. $32.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Nose of sweet and spicy floral aromas, with vanilla, blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry scents. Very smooth mouthfeel, with flavors of cherries jubilee and vanilla, and a long tasty finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

2000 Owen Roe Zinfandel - Columbia Valley, Washington. $24.99. Dark ruby purple color. Nose of boysenberry jam and toast, with a slight floral background aroma. Big mouthfeel with lots of chewy fruit, slightly sweet, very tasty, excellent balance, long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Rocking Horse Zinfandel - Napa Valley. $15.99. Dark ruby garnet color. Sweaty and grapey in the nose, with underlying aroma of ripe boysenberry. Full mouthfeel, somewhat grapey flavors, good balance, long finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Elyse Zinfandel - Morisoli Vnyd, Napa Valley. $21.99. Medium ruby color. Fabulous nose of black cherry, boysenberry, toast, and a touch of anise. Very tasty fruit and mouthfeel, seems just a bit light on the palate, but the flavors and balance make up for it.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Storybook Mountain Zinfandel - Mayacamas Range, Napa Valley. $21.99. Very nice spicy and complex nose of toast, spicy boysenberry, and anise. A bit light in mouthfeel, good balance, with toasty fruit and a hint of cocoa on the long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Chase Zinfandel - Hayne Vnyd, Napa Valley. $29.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Spicy and complex nose of black cherry, chocolate, vanilla, and a touch of juniper. Smooth and very tasty mouthfeel, moderately chewy - not a blockbuster in style, but very refined and delicious, with a long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: B+ Overall score : A-

Favorites, in Order of Preference:
1999 JC Cellars Zinfandel - Bolduc Vnyd, Napa Valley. $31.99.
2000 Owen Roe Zinfandel - Columbia Valley, Washington. $24.99.
1999 Seghesio Zinfandel San Lorenzo - Sonoma County. $21.99.
2000 Sineann Zinfandel Old Vine - Columbia Valley, Washington. $32.99.
1999 Chase Zinfandel - Hayne Vnyd, Napa Valley. $29.99.
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1999 Elyse Zinfandel - Morisoli Vnyd, Napa Valley. $21.99.
1999 Rosenblum Zinfandel - Hendry Vnyd, Napa Valley. $26.99.
1999 Gary Farrell Zinfandel - Dry Creek Valley. $19.99.
1999 Seghesio Zinfandel Old Vine - Sonoma County. $21.99.
1999 Norman Zinfandel The Monster - Paso Robles. $17.99.
1999 Karly Zinfandel Warrior Fires - Amador County. $18.99.
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1999 Storybook Mountain Zinfandel - Mayacamas Range, Napa Valley. $21.99.
1999 Rocking Horse Zinfandel - Napa Valley. $15.99.
1999 Lava Cap Zinfandel Reserve - Amador County. $24.99.
1999 Howell Mountain Zinfandel - Black Sears Vnyd, Napa Valley. $33.99.
1999 St. Francis Zinfandel Old Vines - Sonoma County. $16.99.
2000 Joel Gott Zinfandel. $11.99.
1999 Stephen Ross Zinfandel - Dusi Vnyd, Paso Robles. $15.99.
2000 Blockheadia Ringnosii Zinfandel - California. $13.99.

1999 JC Cellars Zinfandel - Bolduc Vnyd, Napa Valley. $31.99. Very dark ruby color. Thick, sweet luscious and polished nose, with lots of black cherry and blackberry fruit, and tarry-anise notes. Big and chewy mouthfeel, excellent balance, nice use of oak, and long smooth yet gripping finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1999 Rosenblum Zinfandel - Hendry Vnyd, Napa Valley. $26.99. Dark ruby color. Old viney nose, with kind of a brambly fruit quality in the nose, along with oak and some bacon. Off-sweet mouthfeel, a bit tart and puckery, but nice flavors.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Howell Mountain Zinfandel - Black Sears Vnyd, Napa Valley. $33.99. Medium-dark garnet color. Very toasty and brambly in the nose. Toasty mouthfeel, with fruit leaning more to a tarry blackberry - almost Syrah-like flavor.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Gary Farrell Zinfandel - Dry Creek Valley. $19.99. Medium ruby color. Nose of brambly raspberry, oak, cedar, and floral aromas. Medium mouthfeel, good balance,nice flavors, but seems a bit thin on the palate.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B+

1999 St. Francis Zinfandel Old Vines - Sonoma County. $16.99. Medium garnet color. Stinky and sweaty nose, with oaky and woody aromas. Ripe and oaky mouthfeel, the fruit seems a bit pinched and the acids more obvious through the finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Seghesio Zinfandel Old Vine - Sonoma County. $21.99. Medium-dark ruby garnet color. Well-integrated oak and cedar aromas, with plenty of ripe raspberry fruit and a touch of vanilla. Slightly sweet mouthfeel, smooth textures on the palate, very nice fruit and balance, and long tasty finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Seghesio Zinfandel San Lorenzo - Sonoma County. $21.99. Very dark ruby color. Very dense and slightly restrained nose of boysenberry, blackberry, tar and ink. Big chewy off-sweet mouthfeel, with tar and licorice accents to the thick fruit, and showing massive fruit and tannins on the very long finish.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-


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