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zinfandel
2007 BankNote: Run on the Vault… but zin lovers won’t go broke.
2007 Banknote The Vault (Napa) 29.99
Peter Nixon is my kinda guy. First, he’s a true zin fan. Second, he’s a graphic designer and with a fondness for vintage printing.
The result is Banknote a very precious and scarce Napa meritage, beautiful inside and out. The label of course is fragments of old bank notes and railroad bonds, in the painstaking style of the 19th century. Nixon likes them so much he’s made a dozen labels for the single wine.
You can taste the same passion, detail and respect for tradition, in this very limited jewel, a clever blend long on Rhonish spice (44% zinfandel, 35% syrah) with a polish of cabernet sauvignon (21%) . The whole is far richer than the sum of the parts. Steve Rayman calls it beautifully integrated, so you get plum, mocha and pepper up front and then a mouthful of black fruit chocolate and espresso, all silky smooth.
The catch? Nixon made less than 800 cases and numbered each one in bank note fashion (we number them too with figures like 92).
The winery is sold out.
But B-21 has a stash of Banknotes you can buy cheap ($29.99) and enjoy of the next cult zin.
No Confederate bills accepted.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
Ravenswood: A totem of zinfandel
2007 Ravenswood Zinfandel Teldeschi (Dry Creek) On Sale: $25.99 for a limited time
Great zinfandel is easy to learn and remember. “I know it started with R.” You bet, the three R’s of zinfandel are Ridge, Rosenblum and Ravenswood, all wineries that have spent decades preserving and elevating California’s distinctive favorite.
Narrow it down further: “It was the one with the cool ring of birds on it,” and we’re talking Ravenswood, the Sonoma headquarters of the zin cult and the mastery of Joel “No Wimpy Wines” Peterson.
A flock of them has just landed, seven single-vineyard zins from Napa to Russian River, all different, all great, all at great prices from $25 to $45 and all very Ravenswood. Each pulled in big scores from 90 to 96, but the more significant number is 2007, the best vintage of the decade. Buy now to drink and hoard.
Btw, those cool ravens? They were designed by the same Bay area artist who did the graphics for Chez Panisse.
Not the least wimpy, yet very classy.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
The 3 keys to Rosenblum Cellars: Zinfandel, zinfandel and … zinfandel
You knew that already, yet location counts a lot for the zin masters.
First, Rosenblum may be the closest winery to San Francisco. Honest, only a 20-minute ferry ride across the Bay to Alameda island on the Oakland side. Rosenblum is right next to the ferry stop.
Second, the grapes have a much longer journey for Kent Rosenblum, the cheerful veterinarian who founded the winery, scoured all of California for the best Zin vines often old and forgotten, and sometimes valiant colonies.
2007 Rosenblum Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyards (Dry Creek) $24.99
We have Rosenblum zins in a half dozen varieties but the greatest to me (and most of my fellow zinners here) is the Rockpile Road AVA. It’s above Geyserville and Dry Creek, an hour off Highway 101. Winemakers who buy grapes there call it heaven or the new Howell Mountain; it’s 2,000 feet up with rocky red soil and it makes bruising red wines with body and extra fire. Rosenblum’s 2007 Rockpile zin ($24.99) is jammy and juicy, sweet with raspberries and licorice and extra pepper… well, it just rocks.
That’s a grand showcase of what zinfandel can be. Zin-man Steve Rayman himself says 93. I say, fix the thickest steak you can find.
Or you could get to know Rosenblum the easy way with Vintner’s Cuvee XXXI ($8.99). No vintage, no specific appellation within California, just zin, big spicy and fruity zin. Your pizza will thank you.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
2007 Rosenblum Zinfandel Rockpile Road (Dry Creek, California)
2007 Rosenblum Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyards (Dry Creek) $24.99
“Kinky, rich, ripe, sexy and luscious are just a few of the descriptors you can apply to Rosenblum’s Rockpile Road Vineyard Zinfandel. It borders on the sweet yet never crosses that boundry. It is decadent and curiously almost over the top. I have friends who don’t particularly like Zinfandel and yet they love Rosenblum Rockpile. The 2007 is classic and the best since the 2003. At a recent gathering it was the first bottle emptied. I suspect your experiences will be similar. It’s a great value.”
93 Points, Steve Rayman
Staff Selection, June 2010
What’s your bottle number?
Peter Nixon, proprietor of Banknote Wine Company in Napa Valley, has discovered what Dave Phinney of Orin Swift Prisoner fame and many Zinfandel Fans have known for some time. While Zinfandel on its own can be quite lovely, if you blend it with complementary varietals it is possible to elevate it to something greater. That’s precisely what he has done with his 2007 The Vault. The Vault is sourced from some of the best vineyards in Napa Valley and is made from Zinfandel with support from Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. It features beautifully integrated aromas of plums with hints of mocha, mulling spices and cracked pepper that lead to flavors black fruits with hints of chocolate and espresso ably supported by real yet silky tannins. Its quite a mouthful! Just shy of 800 cases were produced so it won’t be available for long. Bottles are individually numbered and there are twelve different labels, each one featuring a different banknote from the 19th century. I scored bottle #726 92 points.
Feel free to post your bottle numbers and scores below!
- Steve Rayman, B-21′s Director of Wine
2005 Giadomella Zinfandel (Russian River, California)
2005 Gia Domella Zinfandel (Russian River) $24.99
“Crimson tartrate crystals coat the inside of the cork, lending a sort of Xmas cookie appearance. Like a slowly loping cat, curiosity leads me to lick my finger, dab it on the crystals, and return the finger, replete with its new passengers, to my mouth…nothing. I’m not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t the complete absence of flavor. Disinterested in the sparkly cork I splash some wine into my glass. The nose offers a bushel of fleshy red fruit, spice and rhubarb accompanied by a gentle whiff of alcohol. Ample body and loads of berry on the palate, a pleasant bitter edge balances out near-sweet tropical punch notes. Albeit brief, the finish is smooth and tasty. For those who still enjoy a nice Zinfandel, and I remain in this constituency, this is a really fun wine.”
93 Points, Steve Rayman (B-21’s Director of Wine) & 90 Points Wine Enthusiast
91 Points, Shawn Reynolds
Staff Selection, May 2010
Sagacious Seghesio zin; Old vines, old masters
2007 Seghesio Old Vines Zinfandel (Sonoma) $29.99
The first Seghesios arrived in Sonoma from Italy more than 100 years ago. The land and its wines still show their touch, rough-hewn lustiness and the wisdom of experience.
Zinfandel is their natural star and the old field hand is strong and handsome under their tutelage. I had the 2007 Old Vine Zin ($29.99) in ideal circumstances, with the family’s private stock sausage. The wine had the same sage and pepper yet not as rustic as the sausage. The zin is big, supple and full of ripe black berries but doesn’t over flow the jelly jar. The fruit is packed in densely and releases slowly and soulfully, rich and long lived more tango than tarantella.
My B-21 Cal-Pal Shawn Reynolds rates it a 93. I agree for now – and even better a few years down the road.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
At last: The Prisoner captured.
Orin Swift’s first wine The Prisoner has as big a cult following as the beloved Brit TV series. Finding the wine can be as complex a mystery as any Patrick McGoohan faced.
2008 Orin Swift The Prisoner (Napa) $34.99
Have no fear. Your getaway car has come in loaded with case sof the 2008 Prisoner ($34.99). The prisoner has always been a showcase of great zinfandel, founder Dave Phinney’s first love. In this vintage, the zin is only half, a quarter is cab, the remainder is all my old favorite California field hands, petite sirah, syrah, grenache and lusty charbono. They’re shamelessly cranked up to more than 15 per cent alcohol.
But even Mr. Parker has stopped worrying and learned to love the “big, sexy fruiy bomb boasting abundant amounts of black, blue, and red fruits along with pepper, spice box, earth, and herbs. It tastes like the unmanipulated essence of the fruit of a Mediterranean vineyard. Soft tannins, medium to full body, and a heady mouthfeel make this a seductive wine to enjoy over the next 2-3 years. ”
Make that a 90. You’re going to like this cellmate.
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
Day 3: The Road to Napa with Steve
Gnarly Head Zin $6.99
We were blessed with cool sunny weather today for the ZAP tasting. It is indoors but in two large warehouses right on San Francisco Bay so we were exposed to the elements when traversing between them. Despite reports of frost I found several 2008 Zins with much to like. Some great ones actually. Some nice 2007s are still in the market too but they are becoming harder to find. The best overall group of zins had to be Seghesios. 2008s and 2007s are tasting good there. We found a few new leads too which I’ll report on once secured.
BTW Gnarly Head was the best value for the 5th year in a row! It is very impressive for the price.
The Top 100 Prisoner Has Arrived…
#47 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2009: 2007 Orin Swift the Prisoner ($34.99)
Winemaker Dave Phinney has a knack for sourcing great fruit from great vineyards and combining them in a way that offers something unexpected and unique. The 2007 Prisoner from Napa Valley ($34.99) combines five grape varietals and is the third vintage of this wine to achieve Top 100 status (2003 and 2005 were the previous two). The core of this wine is Tofanelli Vineyard Zinfandel and Charbono. Tofanelli’s vineyards are organically farmed and of significant age and provide exceptional concentrated fruit. Quantities are quite limited of 2007 so this may be a bit of a last call.
Wine Spectator scored the Prisoner 92 Points. Have you tried it? Tell us what you think.