Rombauer used to make awesome zins in the early 90’s. Now they are over ripe and over extracted. This is so typical of California zins these days. The once present black pepper is no where to be found. It is a fruit bomb verging on a dessert wine. Some love this newer style zin. Not me. I pine for the glory days when they were spicy, not too fruity and complex as hell. Bring back my favorite grape. It’s not expressed in this bottle. That being said, for today’s zins, this is one of the better ones. There is structure and interesting flavors. It’s just way too sweet for my tastes. I would give this one 85 points for the memories of Rombauer zins of the past.
Rombauer – over the top
July 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
2007 Papapietro Perry Elsbree Vineyard Pinot Noir
June 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
I picked up this steal of a deal at winelibrary.com a couple of weeks ago. They were offering it for $29.99 – about twenty bucks off their regular price. And I have to say it was well worth it! It is not your typical California pinot noir. It is much more in the Burgundian style. You can see it has a nice red color but not too dark. The nose is full of red berries and I get a hint of watermelon. Interesting to say the least. On the palate it has huge fruit and a wonderful balanced acidity. It has some hints of toasted oak but, much to my liking, it is very subtle and not overpowering. There are some fascinating rose floral notes that permeate this wine and along for the ride with the cherries in the mouth come raspberry flavors. Mix that all up with a bit of damp earthiness and you have a glass full of goodness. I like this wine very much. Rating? Oh, I’d easily give it 90 points. It opens up beautifully after an hour or so.
1999 Renwood D’Agostini Bros Zinfandel
July 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Tasted this old zin tonight. Here’s my take on it.
2007 Seghesio Zinfandel
March 23, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Last evening I popped a bottle of 2007 Seghesio Zinfandel. I paid around $18 for it. I recorded my tasting. Take a look.
Wine from Michigan
June 9, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Yes, Michigan does make some pretty decent wines, especially white wines. About a year ago I was traveling through southwest Michigan and found a winery outlet just off of I-94. The Round Barn winery produced this pinot gris that was really very interesting. It had a great color, first of all. Not too dark but not too light. Definitely had some substance. The aromas of apples and honey and fruit loops greeted me when I brought the glass to my nose. It had a nice crisp acidity with flavors of pears, pineapple and bananas. The nice thing about this wine was how long it lasted in your mouth. Long lingering fruit eventually gave way to a fresh clean finish. I would score this one maybe 89 points. I liked it and now I remember why I bought it.