'05 vintage

[dananne]

Did you happen to notice from where the underripe ones tended to come, or were they sprinkled all over the various regions? On our recent trip to Sonoma, many folks were pouring the '05s, and we tasted perhaps a hundred, all told, from Dry Ck Vly, RRV, Napa, Sonoma, etc. I was actually mildly surprised and pleased, having heard similar reports. What I liked is that I found far fewer of the explosive, high-octane Zins that I don't really enjoy (I call them Zin Monsters), and more of the Claret-style Zins I do enjoy. I found several with very nice balance that will be quite versatile with food, moreso than typical Zins from riper years. Most of what I tried seemed ripe enough, but there were a few exceptions, noteably from Dry Creek Vly, so I did see some of what you noticed. So, maybe the '05s will appeal to people like me who like a different style of Zin. Not trying to argue with your educated take, just offering a different perspective. I do agree that people who like the bigger Zins may be disappointed. Didn't see many of those from the '05 vintage.

[This message has been edited by dananne (edited 09-30-2007).]