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1997 Sobon - Printable Version

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- Bucko - 08-11-1999

1997 Sobon Estate, Zinfandel, Rocky Top, Shenandoah Valley. Smoky oak and red fruit aromas, with rich, jammy fruit on the palate and moderate toasty oak flavors. This may be a nice wine for many people, but the obvious American oak overwhelms the lovely fruit (for me anyway).

Bucko


- Randy Caparoso - 08-12-1999

Typical of the region, if you ask me. The oakiness -- especially American. I'm not trying to turn this thread into a rant also, but we have been talking about oak lately. What I don't understand is why a lot of producers -- especially in Amador and parts of Sonoma (names shall go unmentioned) -- insist on using such aggressive American oak that the wines start to taste milky, and often varnishy (like furniture polish). I love oak, but only when it enhances (rather than obliterates) the natural raspberry/blackberry jamminess.

I've always had a hard time with this. In the mid to late '80s, for instance, even Ridge was guilty of this; but of course, they've since gone way beyond this (their '90 vintages have been spectacularly rich in varietal, rather than oak, intensity, which is why I feel free to mention it).

Talking about positives, I've always thought that Doug Nalle and Mike Grgich have always had a nice touch (and great sensibility) with the use of French oak for Zin. What do you think?


- Bucko - 08-12-1999

Ridge and Rosenblum have always been my favorite producers. Nalle has been too Claret styled for my preference. Grgich seems to do a good job with all of his wines.

Bucko


- Randy Caparoso - 08-13-1999

Stylistically, I'd definitely put Grgich in about the same place of Nalle -- they capture the varietal berryishness, but always within a polished, elegantly textured context (avoiding overripe, raisiny fruit, viciously high alcohol, and with subtle oak shadings).

I'm constantly tasting the whole range of Rosenblooms (local distributors constantly hammering at you with samples), but I generally avoid them since they tend to go way into that raisiny, and sometimes varnishy, style of jamminess. But it's not that I'm against big fruit. Ridge and De Loach single vineyard cuvees, for instance, are always great to me. Also in this vein, I've recently found Dry Creek Vineyards' 1997 "Heritage Clone" and 1997 "Old Vines" to be wonderful in that slightly oversized, big, dense, jammy style (the "Heritage" being more blackberryish, and the "Old Vines" more raspberryish). Lots of styles for lots of different tastes!