Two old vine zins

[wondersofwine]

Bought both of these at Macarthur Beverages (Bassin's) on a trip to DC.

1999 DeLoach Barbieri Ranch Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, CA
14.5% alcohol $23

dark red-purple, almost opaque
zinberry nose
taste: zinberry, brambleberries, integrated oak, rich and rewarding
full sensation on palate; resolved tannins; lingering finish; ripened grapes without resulting in a "jammy" wine.
Good with seasoned burgers, sloppy joes, lasagna or ravioli, hard cheeses. Possibly with barbecue although this fine wine might not show to advantage against a strongly flavored barbecue sauce.
This is the type of zinfandel I like, just wish the alcohol content could be shaved a percent. (But lowering the alcohol level might mean using less ripe grapes, so I guess I had better trust the winemaker.)


2000 Rosenblum Rockpile Road Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, CA
14.8% alcohol $29

dark purple, opaque
bubbles around edges when first poured
nose: zinberry, black currant, rich bouquet
taste: dark plums, black currants, semisweet
chocolate? (label says dark cherries, black currants and anise--I wouldn't quarrel too much with that but got more plum than cherry)

Some similarities to the DeLoach. From a "clone of old vine plantings." Reasonable length finish but not as long a finish as the DeLoach Barbieri. I prefered the DeLoach but would certainly consider buying Rosenblum again if more available than the DeLoach single vineyards and if price remains under $30. Both wines were quite enjoyable. The Rockpile was a good one to compare to the Barbieri because it seemed to have some of the same attributes. Again, it would be nice if the alcohol could be lowered a percentage without using unripe grapes.

After posting I looked at the Rosenblum website. On the 2000 Rockpile Zinfandel the back label mentioned anise and nothing about chocolate, but the winemaker's comments mentioned dark chocolate and nothing about anise. So maybe I was more accurate than I realized. (didn't see plums though)

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 06-04-2003).]

[Bucko]

Sad to hear about DeLoach doing the Chapeter 11 stuff, eh?

[wondersofwine]

Yes, I hope they survive with the reorganization. Read that they will lower total production and concentrate on their varietal strengths. Certainly the old vine zinfandels should be a priority one hopes.

[winoweenie]

Sign of the times. Couldn't have happened to a nicer man. Cecil is a gentleman who is living his dream. Think his assets are strong enough to weather the storm.WW [img]http://205.243.144.43/ubb2/frown.gif[/img]

[Thomas]

Sorry to say, unless more consumers get hip to smaller producers (and are willing to pay for the quality), the Constelllation Brands of the universe will either marginalize or wipe out the small ones.