QOTD: I guess this is an area that I haven’t ventured into yet but will make this a goal to find one I possibly like. Not enough experience yet with Zin’s. I will be working on this and post my fav later.

Back in the chiar with great energy, fun show, except for when Mott almost passed out.

QotD – Helen Turley brings the thunder in just about every bottle she produces (plus her label is quite classy) Worst – that Green Groves crap you sold us…

This was not the qotd for this episode but I wanted to answer it anyway….you asked what our favorite episode was and mine was definitely the day you wore the vegan shirt and ate bacon….LMAO ……still think it is quite funny. Love IT!

QOTD— The best Hop Kiln Zinfadel Dry Creek
Worst — Probably like a Beringer Zin

Nice show. I do remember liking some of Hendry’s zins quite a bit. I was also pretty into the last vintage of L’Aventure zin, but when I had the last couple of bottles I thought they were way too oaky, so I’ll go with Hendry (don’t remember the specific wines). There are too many least favorites to mention. I’d like to see Sir Gary again.

QOTD : Favorite – Caparone, Hendry Block 28, and Neyers Pato Vineyards. Least Favorite – White.

Did Gary forget to give the 1st wine a sniffy sniff? Ruhroh….

QOTD: Favorite all time 2003 ZaZin by Laurel Glen Tough to get though.

Least.. hmm.. i have had some bad ones.. Layer Cake.

Great show, love the zin. I kind of have to agree with Dr. Eduardo — love the “basic” shows with just GV and a few bottles of vino. But yes, I am old school (650 episodes!)

Gary,

Loved the show. I have been wanting to get a great zin to have with some ribs I will be making for my dad’s birthday coming up. So this show with the others have been nice to watch.

This collection of Zins didnt bring the smell and taste of how I usually expect from zins. Like the over the topness (is that a word) I am used to seeing in at least a third of the zins you have tasted on WLTV. So wine #2 sounds the most interesting to me.

QOTD: As far as the best zin, was probably my first red zin about 3-4 years ago. In the infancy of my pallete. I think it was a 2002 Clos La Chance humming bird series zin. It was so different then the merlots or rieslings I had had at that point in my life it blew me away.

My least favorite would be one I had in a restaurant and cant remember the name of. It had too much heat, and brought the “OAK MONSTER” 🙁

Jason

QOTD: my favorite zinfandel would have to be the Hooker Zinfandel from CA (don’t exactly where from)…I believe it’s of a smaller production because I’ve only seen it in one liquor store in my whole life…but the first time I had it I LOVED it…that was two years ago, so not sure what’d I’d think of it now, but I believe it’s definitely worth seeking out…my least favorite would have to be Sin Zin…way tooo oaky…blaaaahhh!!

liked the episode overall as zinfandel is one of my more prefered CA grape varietals…AND I was really intrigued when you mentioned that it originates from Croatia…could there possibly be a show about croatian zinfandel, and maybe paired with primitivos from Italy…

QOTD:

Best Zin hands down: 2002 Peter Franus – Brandlin Vineyard, absolute liquid darkness and all that includes. Close 2nd, 2005 Orin Swift – The Prisoner, not exactly the night time in a glass that the Franus was but then this is a 5 way blend that takes Zin from interesting to compelling and is consistently vintage to vintage at the top of the list.

Fav’s Ridge and Rafanelli; least fav’s don’t remember blocked out from my memory

ALBINI FAMILY ZIN, hands down. Dry farmed, unfiltered, excellent.

Good episode, good topic.

For what it worth, I understand you need to listen to your ciritics, if and big IF there seems to be a trend. Otherwise the are random variations and should not affect your approach to this program.

I enjoy the guests, I enjoy the variety, I do not want it to be the same thing every day. Does that mean I will enjoy every variation, course not. But overall, I love the energy you share, the knowledge you share, the guests you share, the passion you share, and the love for your family you share with us.

QOTD – 2004 Peachy Canyon Incredible Red, the 2005 was not as good.

91 cooke Ravenswood plus some 93 Old Hill. Those tannic monsters are just great right now.

QOTD- Favorite is 2004 La Storia Zin, I try not to remember the bad ones….

I know people truly don’t like the oak, & many people are finding it popular not to like the oak–but I love oak. Having said that, I probably wouldn’t like #3, but now I’ve gotta buy it just to see what a seriously-over-oaked wine tastes like, because I don’t think I’ve ever tasted one… Looking forward to trying #2. I’m a HUGE zin-fan, LOVE it, it’s my fav.

QOTD:

Fav so far: Haley’s Mill 2005–& I’ve had all price points, this is still my fav

Least fav: Gnarly Head any yr.

QOTD: Favorite was a Rosenblum Rockpile Road in 2004, before the hype, or else a Ridge Dusi Ranch from around that same time.

Least favorite, surprisingly, was from Dasche — maybe an off bottle.

Still waiting for the big-ups-to-Ehren-Jordan Neyers/Failla/Turley show.

Favorite- Zin Alley 2005 – The maker is an angry, passionate man. Paso Robles terroir at its very best

Least – any Zin that begins in “white”

I love that you got so distracted by the sniffy sniff armband and glass that you forgot to sniff the wine! I wouldn’t have noticed if the giant truck of IRONY hadn’t crashed into the room!

Gary, you really thrilled me with a Zin show. For me, the KING of wines.

Least Fave: They are numerous…usually when I’m trying to find a $5-10 bottle of drinkable Zin. NOT a fan of Ravenswood Vintners Blend, Gnarly Head,and 7 Deadly Zins, which USED to bring the thunder does not anymore.

Faves: Anything by Robert Biale (I’m a real fan) and my personal affordable favorite, Earthquake Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. I put them both in because they exhibit many of the same big chewy characteristics.

I realized I had left out a Zin Cousin that I am in love with…Primitivo.

Jeff Runquist was in town not along ago pushing his Runquist label and also his work with McManis…for my money one of the best value wine lines on the planet…we atteneded the tasting and the stadout wine there was a Runquist Primitivo…Jeff said a grower he buys Zin from took a flyer and planted a few acres of Primitivo and could not sell it. He made Jeff a smoking deal on the crop, and Jeff decided to try his hand at a small batch of Primitivo.

Net result? Heaven in a bottle…huge, rich and old-world in its approach, this became my immediate favorite Runquist wine. I hope he keeps making it.

OK, the lack of a sniffy sniff on the first wine was good but even better was the fact that the second wine had a “MUCH more interesting nose”. I suppose it would have to.

QOTD:
Best – Valley of the Moon (Sonoma)

Worst – too many to mention