Zinfandel tasting – Blind.

Zinfandel tasting – Blind. – Episode #583

November 24, 2008

Gary Vaynerchuk is sky high after a huge Jets wine and his beard is getting thicker and thicker as he tries 6 California Zinfandels BLIND right before Thanksgiving.

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Comments on this episode(231) Leave a comment ›

“Used to go to the ZAP at Fort Mason when I lived up in the Bay Area. …” by G
“Gary,
I’m just getting into wine, for I have only been able to legall…” by Brandon
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Wines tasted in this episode:

2006 Sebastiani Dry Creek ZinfandelSonoma Red Zinfandel
Coppola Diamond ZinfandelOther California Red Zinfandel
2005 Thomas Henry ZinfandelSonoma Red Zinfandel
2006 Outpost Zinfandel Howell MountainNapa Red Zinfandel
2006 Rosenblum Richard Sauret ZinfandelOther California Red Zinfandel
2006 Ravenswood Napa ZinfandelNapa Red Zinfandel

Not in this episode

2006 Neyers Zinfandel High Valley.

Links mentioned in today’s episode.

231 Responses

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November 25, 2008

the2urbs
Man… I was in Santa Rosa last summer… Rosenblumn has a great tasting room for $5…. Yum.

I use to LOVE Roshambo, but they have gone a bit lame…

I love Armida… across the street on Dry Creek.. GO & Buy & taste for Free.
November 25, 2008

kaybee
Sorry, you had trouble with California Kool-aid! It’s a minefield.
Recently had Campus Oaks Old Vines, 25.00 which was very red fruit forward, but had a nice mid palate and finish, liked it a lot. The last one I really liked was Girard 2006, Old Vines, Napa Valley. It was old school, rich cassis, plummy, a little poop de poop, around 22.00, but worth it. My investigation has just begun, and I’m a little choosy, so I haven’t landed a stink bomb yet.
November 25, 2008

John
Had Norman Monster Zinfandel the other day.
November 25, 2008

Wojtek
Bring on Spanish blind tastings.
November 25, 2008

Rex
QOTD Not much zin exposure (only had 3 or 4 in the last 10 years…) but a 1996 Ridge Geyserville opened two years ago was very fine indeed. That prompted me to hold on to my 1999 Lytton Springs until now (I’ll probably open it within the next year).
November 25, 2008

Karl Laczko
Cool show, the first one I’m watching (& replying to) on my new iPhone!
Can’t answer the QOTD- don’t have my list to hand, but will try and open
a Zin this weekend.
November 25, 2008

C-Fiddy
QOTD: Berghold “Foot Stomp” Lodi Zinfandel was a good blend of New and Old World. 19 bucks I think, We loved it. I can’t remember what sucked, It’s been a while. Have a great T-Day everyone!~
November 25, 2008

astropress
Preston Vineyards from Dry creek rawks. great balance, and organic and not too pricey. Worst Zins…wow, I’ve had a lot. Here in No.Cal we’re exposed to a lot of them. My Mother in law loves the Ravenswood vinters blend, that’s right up there in pukesville for me. As are many of the lower level rosenblums that are part of seemingly every street fair in alameda.
November 25, 2008

Richard Ritter
In a word “Honest”. Way to keep it real! Doing it blind is like taking truth syrum. You may ruffle some feathers, but in the end it’s YOUR PAL!

QOTD: Just had an ‘05 SIMI Zin. Not half bad.

I’m looking foward to sitting in Wine Library Stadium when you own the JETS!
November 25, 2008

ChrisR
QOTD: Rocked – 2005 Ridge Carmichael. THE best wine I’ve had all year. Period!
Sucked – 2006 Seghesio. WTF? The ‘05 was outstanding, and this was a huge disappointment.

Here’s my question for you, Gary: When are we going to hear your pics for the Beau Nouveau? It’s that time of the year!
November 25, 2008

thefaamakesmedrink
Gary Vee,

When you said that the Thomas Henry was the wine ‘to ruin all occasions’, I actually laughed out loud.

Here are two things I wish for The Thunder Show in 2009:

1. More blind tastings

b. More smack

Because if you’ve got something bad to say about a wine, let’s hear it!

Regards,

Fred Rogers
November 25, 2008

Bimi
QOTD: Had one nice blend of Zinfandel (or Primitivo, as it’s named usually over here in Europe) and Cab. Don’t remember the name, was about 8€, i.e. 10$ and woth the buy
November 25, 2008

M
QOTD: I haven’t had much Zin recently. I didn’t realize my Zin drinking was following a quality trend. Not too long ago, I had a serviceable Hayman & Hill Dry Creek Valley Zin, good QPR. In the past I’ve had Zinfandel mostly from the big producers, Ravenswood, Ridge, Rosenblum. I’ve also liked Robert Biale Zins but haven’t had one recently. I’m still itching to try the Magito Zinfandel that was a hit on the thunder show.
November 25, 2008

Collin
QOTD – Sucked – Cline Zinfandel, 2006 – Tastes like candy, and not good candy, crappy candy.

Best – Martinelli “Giuseppe & Luisa”

The road to the Super Bowl still goes through Nashville. Don’t celebrate too hard, yet.
November 25, 2008

Paryb
Gary, thanks for calling it like you taste it buddy!

QOTD: Rocked my face off: a couple weeks ago my best bud was in town, and we popped open my bottle of 2001 Saxon Brown Zin…Jeff Gaffner product man, it was like plums and gorp(ya know the stuff with dried candied fruits and nuts and m&ms tons of spice, man, it was soooo awesome.

Threw up in my mouth a little: Like you had, the Ravenswood…meh, tasted watered down to me.
November 25, 2008

Kodi
Thanks Gary. You confirmed what my wife and I have been seeing in California Zins the last couple years. We used to really enjoy them a lot, but rarely find ones we like anymore – so we now spend our time in other varietals. It could just be that you are changing/evolving our palates. But i think it is just the huge, over the top zins that are being made. I guess some people could then call them a great “date” wine – they are regularly getting into the 15%+ alcohol categories which does not make for an enjoyable wine for us.
November 25, 2008

Raphael S
Good show with some tough wines, and nice work with the blind tasting.

I had a tip about showing the color of a red wine for your viewers. I notice that the color seems more visible when you swirl the glass, than when you hold it up for the camera to see. Try swirling red wines behind a white background, and it will be clear for all to see.
November 25, 2008

Toby (DK)
GREAT show – Classic!

Nice to see that kind of “structure” on the show.

Our store has recently taken in the Silver Peak Zin. – fair quality at a fair price. Yet they do tend to over-oak, e.g.: their chardonnay.

(P.S.: Please more champagne-shows )
November 25, 2008

Nick
I like Rancho Zabaco’s Sonoma Heritage Zin and 7 deadly zins worked for me. I am also a fan Folie A Deux’s Menage A Trois, which is primarily a zin blended red (can’t beat the 9-10 dollar price), Bogle’s Old Vines are okay as well.

I was disappointed with the entry-level Ravenswood, Rosenblum’s entry-level XXX, Seghesio (93 points really?) and Ridge’s Three Valleys. I keep hearing great things about Ridge though, and am looking forward to trying the Geyserville and Lytton Springs Zins.

Am a relative newby to wine, so I’m probably tailored to liking the fruitier zins.
November 25, 2008

Deano
Gary great episode I really love the blind episodes
November 25, 2008

luvgrapesqueezings
Thanks for taking those hard shots for the team!!!!!!

QOTD: The worst recent zin- the entry level Ravenswood– real crap
The best recent zin- ‘05 Ridge Lytton Springs

Matt Cassel & Co. getting it done………..GO PATS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 25, 2008

streamertyer
Too bad the Ravenswood wasn’t their Belloni. The 2005 showed Peterson’s greatness despite 05 not being a good year for zin. Easily one of the best I had in the past year.
November 25, 2008

Rick D
QOTD: Hartford Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard 2005. This zin blew me away. Not only the best zin I have had this year, but maybe the best wine I’ve had this year. Price is up there though at 50 bones. Have really had a bad zin lately, but I drink more old world stuff so I haven’t had that many.

I have also tried some Italian Primitivo that was good.

Affordable go to zin is Seghesio or Edmeades.
November 25, 2008

Harry
I recently had a big day tasting Zins, and to be honest, I wasn’t rocked by any of them. That being said, I don’t think I’ve ever been rocked by a Zin, even by a 97 Turley. I’m curious what Zins you’d suggest for a very old world palate who loves CdP, St. St. Joseph, and earth Primitivos.
The best one I had was Storybook Vy (an amazingly beautiful property) Eastern Exposure 2005, which had 10% Viognier blended in after fermentation. It was deep purple, almost black, with dark chocolate fondue, apricots and dark flowers on the nose, followed by soft black cherry and raspberries soda with good med+ acid. The CA wine peeps were very impressed.

Great job in the blind tasting today.
I think it would be better to keep the blinds to 4 wines max, since otherwise it gets really long and somewhat confusing.
November 25, 2008

Arnaud H
Great show, Gary! As an expat Frenchman now living in Wine Country, Zins were a wonderful discovery for me a few years back when I started getting into them. A friend of mine – another French expat – pretended he didn’t like Zin wines, and one day, at a BBQ he organized, I brought a bottle of Saracina’s Atrea Old Soul Red, which is a Zin-dominated blend (for those of you Prisoner fans out there, it’s a wine you will like, and it’s 10 bucks cheaper). I didn’t tell him it was a Zin, and he really liked it.

QOTD: I had a horrible Zin at a restaurant several months ago, but I don’t remember what winery produced it – I guess my mind blocked it out. It was incredibly harsh and vinous. I asked the waitress if the bottle had been opened too long, and she told me she had just opened it. Ugh.

As for Zins I love: the aforementioned Atrea ($25), the Quivira Dry Creek Zin (great value at $15) and the Jelly Jar Nova Vineyard from Lake County ($22) are my goto-under-$25 Zins. This Thanksgiving, I’ll open an ‘05 Turley Old Vines and a ‘06 Artezin from Mendocino ($15), but there’ll also be a Beaujolais Nouveau, and maybe a Cab or a Pinot Noir. Looking forward to it.