1998 Rancho Zabaco

[Bucko]

1998 Rancho Zabaco, Zinfandel, Heritage Vines, Sonoma County, $14, 38,175 cases. 11% Petite Sirah blended in. Raspberry jam aromas dominate the nose. Lush raspberry fruit and cola flavors are supported by modest tannins and refreshing acidity. Approachable now.

Bucko

[Drew]

Bucko, how would you compare the 98' to the 97?

Drew

[Bucko]

A notch down, but pretty successful considering the difficult vintage.

Bucko

[barnesy]

I finally know what you guys mean by "jammy."

This is the first bottle of Zin I have had. I had a sip or two at a tasting once and thought it was interesting. This was definetly the biggest wine I have had. I think 14% alcohol on it was a bit much, but the fruit on the front helped balance it pretty well. Now the big question....

How do they make white zin from this stuff? do they mix it with water? 30 parts water to 1 part regular zin?

Barnesy

[chittychattykathy]

They do not allow the must, (juice), which is clear, it to stay in contact with the grape skins and pips (seeds) for very long.