Two Big Boys

[Bucko]

2005 Mazzocco, Zinfandel, Maple, Dry Creek Valley, California, $36, 450 cases. For fans of big-styled Zins, this one is for you. Full and rich, with layers of jammy cherry and strawberry fruit, the wine carries the 16.8 percent alcohol well at this point, but I would drink it over the next couple of years; 90/90.

2005 Mazzocco, Zinfandel, Pony, Dry Creek Valley, California, $27, 490 cases. Here’s another dandy Zin by Mazzocco if you like the full-blown style. The wine is extremely fruity in the mouth, with layers of berries, plums, cracked pepper and floral notes. While the wine carries the 16.2 percent alcohol well at this point, I would not age for more than two years or so; 90/90.