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CA zin tasting - Printable Version

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- RAD - 05-27-2001

I guess this is more appropriately labeled a SONOMA zin tasting...

Since the quasi-new EuroCaves are completely maxed out (I'm already storing wine on the floor again), it's time to pop open a few bottles.

Last night my wife and I had a zin tasting, including the following four wines (in order of tasting): 1997 Valley of the Moon Sonoma County; 1997 Kenwood Nun's Canyon; 1997 Hanna Bismark Ranch Sonoma County; 1999 Rabbit Ridge OVZ (Old Vines Zin) Reserve. Was tempted to add the 1997 Burgess as a benchmark, knowing that it's currently my favorite, but decided not to. After all, it was just the two of us!

1997 VALLEY OF THE MOON SONOMA COUNTY: Clear, deep garnet. Slightly alcoholic nose (13.5% alcohol), with some typical zin cola notes. A bit of cherry on the palate, but tastes thin, and watered down. My wife got some "cherry Jolly Rancher" notes. I ranked this one #3, and my wife ranked it #4. $15 at the winery. 78/78.

1997 KENWOOD NUN'S CANYON SONOMA VALLEY: much more purple in color; a clear, deep magenta. Cherry and cedar nose, with a bit of dust; almost cabernet-like. Plenty of tannins for zin; a bit drying, fading to some tobacco notes. Not much fruit on the palate. Alcohol 13.5%. My wife and I both ranked it a distant second. For what it's worth, WS ranks it a 78, which I think is a bit low. Wasn't too bad with pizza the next day. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img] $16 at the winery. 82/82.

1997 HANNA BISMARK RANCH SONOMA COUNTY: The star of the show. Far and away the darkest and most concentrated of the group thus far; deep, nearly opaque inky purple garnet. Complex nose of cedar, eucalyptus, olive, and sweet oak. Pure blackberry jam on the palate; you could spread it on toast. Silky smooth, with finely integrated tannins and a nice lingering finish. The opulent fruit offsets the high (16.5%) alcohol, which isn't noticeable until after you've had a full glass! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img] An in-your-face, over-the-top type of wine, but managing to keep all elements in balance. WS gives it a 90. I picked it up here in NYC for $45, but WS lists it at $60. 94/87.

1999 RABBIT RIDGE OVZ (OLD VINES ZIN) RESERVE: There's a bit of a story behind this one. On our recent trip to Napa/Sonoma, we swung by the Rabbit Ridge tasting room, and were not only not impressed, but outright disgusted. The "counter help" was a bit rough around the edges, to put it mildly; and a shedding cat napped on the countertop immediately adjacent to the glassware and on top of the tissue used to wrap wines. Anyway, we started tasting, and were not impressed. Then we realized there was a $2 per person tasting fee, and remembered that we didn't have any cash on us (only credit cards). But then we tried this wine, and were blown away. It was thick as syrup. So we bought 2 and added the tasting charge to that. Later, we were at J Wine company, and got chatty with the folks there. One person behind the counter was similarly blown away about the wine in question, and had bought a case on the spot. I thought I'd found a gem. Then, this person proceeds to tell me that he's trying to get rid of it now--that syrupy concentration is the result of residual sugar, says he.

Anyway: the wine is an inky purple black, and highly concentrated. Somewhat muted nose that later turned VERY jammy--blackberry jam and stewed cherry--with a VERY viscous mouthfeel, like pure glycerin (IK, "viscuous" most certainly applies here! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img] ). And most definitely residual sugar, though not much (it doesn't say on the label). Alcohol 14.9%. An odd and bizarre wine which would immediately knock the socks off the uninitiated (myself included). I didn't even rate this wine, as it out of bounds, so to speak. $30 at the winery.

RAD

[This message has been edited by RAD (edited 05-27-2001).]