'99 Sobon Estate Cougar Hill

[Jorog]

A Sierra foothills zin.

My first thought upon opening was "Wow, that's zinfandel." Overtly fruity, almost to the point of overripe. Dark in color with only slight thinning at the edge. Decent on the nose with dark fruit, cherry and slight prune notes. Very full in the mouth with the same flavors but slightly out of balance. A peppery, short finish which is dulled by the heat of the alcohol, 15.5%.

Overall verdict, not bad but could have been much better. I think the winemaker went for too much extraction here, the high alcohol, while not always a flaw, is in this wine. 86 pts and about $14.

[quijote]

It sounds like some others at that price point would be better buys, but a zin like you described can be fun nonetheless. And at 15.5% alcohol, the fun would kick in pretty quickly....