Picked: Sept 10, 1996
Bottling Date: Apr 19, 1998
Total Cases 1725
Alcohol 14.5%
(Ripped from the bottle headlines...)

The more I drink Zinfandel with age, the more I like it. Maybe I'm just lucky, maybe it's a pattern. I opened this bottle which was given to me by a local wine dealer, (for spending *way* too much money) because I felt it's call. No decanting but after 30 minutes in the glass, this wine shows superbly.

Light ruby red in color, looking nicely filtered, this wine still shows just a tad of heat on the nose that quickly subsides into a subtle but forward fruitiness that's more suggestive of cabernet than of Zinfandel! Bing cherries come right up front with a plum like overtone.

On the palette, this wine is full bodied without being aggressive, smooth as silk on some left over structure that only alludes to its future in the bottle. I will only imagine the next three or four years since I only have the one bottle.

The finish goes on and on. If you have some don't hesitate. If you find some, ditto!

Tasted from magnum. Nice mix of zesty berry and firm raisin notes, with hints of tar, spice and briar. Tangy finish fleshes out with air. 90 points.

Tasted from 750ml this time. Smells like an old Pinot and shows sweet tea, mulled spice, shaved vanilla and slightly muddled raspberry fruit. Still supple, but this has started to fade. 86 points.

quote:

Originally posted by James Molesworth:
Tasted from 750ml this time. Smells like an old Pinot and shows sweet tea, mulled spice, shaved vanilla and slightly muddled raspberry fruit. Still supple, but this has started to fade. 86 points.

I've had a few older Zins that had had noses of sweet tea. I was surprized the first time I smelled it.