1977?

[tennessee]

Hi, I have a quick question. Someone gave me a Sebastiani Zinfandel from 1977. I don't know anything about wine and I wonder if it's worth anything, or if it's even drinkable. Maybe somebody can help me out. Thanks!

[Innkeeper]

Hi TN, and welcome to the Wine Board. Sorry; nada.

[stevebody]

TN,

Greetings from a fellow Vol trapped in Seattle! Sebastiani hasn't always been a value-wine operation. They have, at times, made great reds and quite a few of them show up in serious collectors' cellars. The '77 Zin is from a period when they were making some better wines and Zin does have some cellaring possibilities but it would depend on how they built the wine; tannins, extraction, acids, residual sugars, etc. If I had to guess, I'd bet it's still potable and maybe even tuned Port-like and interesting. Let us know!

[Kcwhippet]

Unless this wine was stored in a perfectly maintained wine cellar for the past 26 years, I'm afraid I'd go with IK on this. Maybe one of Sebastiani's big Cabs from back then, like the 1981 Eagle Vineyard, might still be viable, but not the Zin.

[Thomas]

...those wines from the seventies can fool you--they used to be stellar offerings...