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EP 945 Blind Zinfandel Tasting

With Thanksgiving around the corner, Gary Vaynerchuk blind tastes four bottles of Zinfandel at a variety of price points.

Wines tasted in this episode:

Bogle ZinfandelCalifornia Red Zinfandel
2008 Seghesio Sonoma ZinfandelSonoma Red Zinfandel
2006 Louis Martini Monte Rosso Zinfandel Gnarly VinesNapa Red Zinfandel
2007 Outpost Zinfandel Howell MountainNapa Red Zinfandel


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luca bercelli

90/100

line of the day – ‘This feels like an enhanced man or woman’

Blind shows are always a fun watch

Tags: california, napa, review, Sonoma, wine, wines, zinfandel

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  • Anonymous

    QOTD — very Loire red/slightly aged Left Bank

  • Anonymous

    Qotd- i like acid!

  • Purplejuicebruce

    Yes, Bogle rocks try their Phantom. I like big Zins and Petite Sirahs you know, stuff you could paint your house with but my day to day wine is Bogle, Ravenswood and Mc Mannis. Good show G.V.

  • alex_s

    You could really do 200 blind tastings a year, and I would love every one!
    QOTD: I’m still stuck in summer and loving lighter weight but still fruity pinots. I find them almost refreshing. Had a 08 Brewer Clifton and an 09 Evening Land Santa Rita Hills pinots the other day and really enjoyed both. Last Thursday’s episode really made we want the EL la source pinot, but had to reassess my state of ballerdom and keep the wallet in the pocket.

  • bobbytiger

    Pretty simple.
    I like a wine that taste good to me.
    But, prefer Melbec, Zin, some Merlots & varietals, Torrantes, and oakey Chards.
    Love the Brute Sparkling.
    You are, of course Gary, correct in your assesment of Bogle. They deliver a lot of taste, at a very comfortable price point.

  • ALLAN

    Great idea! Guest brown bag tasting, sounds extremely interesting to me. Cheers! 😛

  • Bosco

    QOTD: In addition to the 2009 Bila-Haut Rouge, I’ve been drinking a lot of Spanish Reds, particularly from the Jumilla, which I haven’t really been into for the last 18 months or so.

  • Globex

    WOW! “thanks for watching, it means alot to me”??? Dude, don’t get all soft & mushy on us. 🙂 Hey, thank YOU for these blind tastes on the zins. As a result I’m going to pick up a couple bottles of the Bogle and of the Seghesio. Perhaps I may serve the Seghesio at the Thanksgiving dinner table, and the Bogle in front of the tv with turkey sandwiches the day after.

    QOTD: currently Kermit Lynch seems to be in line with my palate today. Not bomb-bastic, not over-the-top of really anything… simply, drinkability.

  • Anonymous

    Went to a huge wine tasting in Austin for the Austin Cellar Classic at Max’s Wine Dive. I usually love low alcohol, high acid wines that are more classic, but found myself loving a lot of the huge fruit bombs at this tasting. Check it out here http://www.aaronfoodandwino.blogspot.com

    There were several huge bombs that I wanted to can, but couldn’t, due to them tasting so delicious.

    QOTD: Drinking a lot of Cabernet now. Had been drinking 2007 Southern Rhones for awhile. Smoking a lot of cigars,…..Tatuajes, Illusione, Cabaiguan, and Don Pepin’s.

  • pablo

    QOTD: Big buttery and oaky chards from cali.

  • pablo

    BTW: What’s up with Thanksigiving Pak!?!?!?!?

  • Anonymous

    That was a interesting show.

    qotd; Old world, all varietals, just not over done.

  • Larry

    All about balance for me. I don’t like anything to stand out so much that it colors the wine. Over the top fruit or oak is off of my radar. Chardonnay that is all oak and butter the same. I actually like all 5 of these Zinfandels and would buy any of them and have though the Outpost is too expensive for most Zins as it is more expensive than most Turleys.

  • Anonymous

    My fellow Union members:

    I agree with Gary on the TOO bigness of 07 CNP’s. I do like big wines, but drinking those big wines that are also contained is more exciting to me. I’m also really into mouthfeel right now. Had an 03 Castello di Verduno Barbaresco 2 weeks ago that was so silky, I was in love.

  • I am mushy 🙂

  • Thinking about it! 🙂

  • Agreed 🙂

  • Anonymous

    Nice show with accessible wines. Great ones to share with friends (not in to wine) over the holidays.

  • Anonymous

    Good show leading into Thanksgiving; Zins are popular at our house around this time, but not many other times during the year..weird. My palate right now craves Washington state Syrah and Cab Franc from darn near anywhere.

  • qotd: complex, earthy, terroir driven wines

  • Anonymous

    QOTD: Right now I’m sick, so I crave chicken noodle soup. When not ill, my palate has been enjoying just about any high quality wine. Well made Sonoma, Napa, Amador, Williamette wines have all been scoring highly with me. Just had an ’07 Hamacher Pinot Noir to celebrate with my brother. It was pure, silky, red fruit with light pepper.

  • Adam C

    Would like to try some new Cannonau wines, not many people seem to talk about it. I also have to pop the cork on a cava about once a month or so. Two wines that would be great to talk about in a show…….. Love the show, just started watching

  • Anonymous

    Great, great episode. Really made me crave some Zin.

    That being said (Vaynerchuckd!) I have been on a big beer kick lately. This usually happens in the fall, I think because of football and because fall gets me excited for stouts and porters.

  • QOTD: Proud member of the CKC, I haven’t been drinking wine long enough to know where my pallet is. Though I have been trying a different/new varietal every time I drink (or when I can afford a bottle). Soon enough I’ll be able to tell you where my pallet is at. Until then I’ll be drinking every bottle to the last drop. #tastedontwaste.

  • Anonymous

    Cannonau, yes!

  • WineRangerBrazil

    Great sode Gary Zins really like the fat the little dog in price shown there is quality at all levels of the palette spectrum! Also loved the rock the boat piece!

  • Anonymous

    Little blue sugar cubes? Guy, get some help 😉

  • 🙂

  • Anonymous

    But could you do it ten times a day, every day? 😉

  • Thnx Adam 🙂

  • QOTD: The state of my palate is at experimental levels. I want to keep trying new things and I’ve barley scratched the surface. I really like reds with lots of green (bell peppers, Brussell sprouts), also a little sour. Good strong tannins.

    As for the game this weekend, I think the Jets are in for a battle. The Lions are starting to gain a little confidence and have enough play makers to compete.

  • Teknojoe

    QOTD: I’ve been in a right bank mode lately….. Drinking the Pomerol’s from my cellar. Would be interesting to see a blind taste from GV on U.S. Merlots…… Great show today!

  • Anonymous

    John, could it be that you’re taking this a little too seriously. The way I look at it is that unless we’re working 24/7 to cure cancer or other deadly afflictions…. It’s only a drink. Have fun with it.

  • QOTD: Really old world right now. France would slaughter California or Australia in my mouth and that’s not how it was 10 years ago.

  • Gosh I love these shows. Your palate is very close to mine since I despise the big, alky-type Zins and usually stick with my tried-and-true Haywood Los Chamizal? Bogle really knows how to give good QPR.

    QOTD: My “SOUP”: I am currently into the complex, mineral, earthy, fruity reds and light, acidic whites, i.e. pinot noirs and SBs with a few non-oaked Chards. Zins are infrequent but may try one for the Thanksgiving feast. I always have my traditional Flowers pinot but need to find a nice sparkling wine from CA to keep with the good ole US theme. Maybe a show soon on said varital. Gruet from NM and Argyle to name a couple I would like to know your opinion.

    Cheers!

  • Cubatobaco (Ray)

    Ironic that today you do Zin as I roamed around that section today at the wine store. I love Ridge Lytton Springs / Geyserville. May be grabbing some of that for Turkey Day. Good show, brother!

    QOTD: I am into Chards and Rhone wines right now. I kind of trailed off the Shiraz/Syrah kick my friends had me on. There is a point when too much Mollydooker can make you sick at your stomach. Give me something with a little more earthiness that lets me know you can’t be reproduced artificially. Too many over the top wines. Not big on merlot…may need a suggestion.

  • McMannis has a really nice Viognier.

  • If you can find Haywood, I think you might like it.

  • “Loose?” They better not be loose or lose for that matter. 🙂

  • castello

    Nice! You can read it like a real magazine.

  • On a Halloween note, I had hundreds (literally) and four young men who actually sang for their treat. And yes, Mott is right, these kids are polite which is surprising to see given the fact that most parents let their kids run all over them. There is hope.

    Do you think Tuesday’s election results will help with the archaic direct shipping laws we endure? I hope so.

  • Interesting, I reviewed the Seghesio Zin back in June : http://norcalwingman.com/2010/06/02/2008-seghesio-sonoma-county-zinfandel/

    I didn’t like it that much, I thought it was over the top jammy. I know it’s a huge seller, but lean toward the more Cabernet-ish style Zins.

    Palate is in a funk lately, been drinking stuff with too much acidity I think. Perhaps it’s time to go back to basics…

    NorcalWingman

  • QOTD, aka SOTP – It definitely changes with the season. This summer I was going for Chard’s from France and for whites and Rose’s from Long Island. But as it gets colder, red wine inevitably seems to be the drink of choice… I’d say that I’m definitely a fan of the classic southern Rhone profile. Dark, earthy… That said, I’ve been expanding into Italy – had a couple of really great Aglianico’s in the past couple of months.

    The other day I made a valiant attempt at what Gary claims is his favorite wine – Chinon. It felt like a good wine that I was not yet ready to understand.

    On the white side, just had a 2006 Kiralyudvar Tokaji Sec last weekend. Amazing. Felt like there was just a little RS, but the balance was fantastic. And for the record, I bought it before Gary’s show on Tokaji from last week, lest you all think me unoriginal…

    I guess the state of the palate is… we’re still discovering. We’ve come a long way. But we’ve got more work to do. And with your help, my fellow taste buds, we will move this palate forward.

  • John__J

    Were they singing as an incentive to get a treat due to their age?

    Sadly I’d be surprised if it helps our ridiculous shipping laws. I live in Maryland and not having wine shipping allowed here is really frustrating. Despite what the delegates say, (I testified to try to have it passed this past Feb.) it’s all about the $$$$$$$$$$$

  • Melissa

    My palate has changed drastically since I’ve become a true wine lover. I truly enjoy all varietals, but right now I’m really digging Syrah. Yummy stuff. I’m really into the Rhones, but I also enjoy the Syrahs coming out of the Central Valley and other places. Again, I truly love it all. I couldn’t live without Bubbly! I am like you with Zins. I used to like them big and jammy, and now I like them more subtle and peppery!

    Great episode, by the way! 🙂

  • Anonymous

    Nice show. My palate, oddly enough, hasn’t changed that much, but it seems closer to yours. I’ve never liked glop and prefer finesse. I crave balance and a set of flavors that keeps me in contact with the soil. Give me balance and earth, and I’ll take a wine that’s pretty big on the fruit.

  • jaredlevy

    State of the Palate Address: I’m now going into my 4th year of seriously drinking wine and alot has changed. While once I too preferred the fruity jammy thick viscous wines like you, I almost can’t even drink Aussie Shiraz anymore. Zinfandel has gotten better in my opinion, as has most of california. I am lately on a big chardonnay kick between white burgs and balanced california chard.

    As far as reds, lately I am into the older Italian barbarescos and barolos.

  • VanF

    Mott banter… love it! The Thunder Show could benefit from a “Mott Cam” showing C. Mott taping while GV is tasting. Hey, all Super Heroes have a Side Kick!

    QOTD: Old World reds… complex and challenging! Drinking an ’05 Chante Cigale VV Chat-du-Pape tonite, and loving it.

  • John__J

    I respect your response John and I’m all about having fun with wine. I love nothing more than to have some wine with friends and family without any pretense, and have a great time.
    I’ve heard Gary mention a few times that someone was posting his tasting notes and/or his ratings online. With that in mind, if someone is taking Gary’s ratings into account when they try/buy a wine without having seen the episode and the context in which it was used, then it could be misleading. It was cool giving it the 90 point bump like he did, I’ve done stuff like that many times. It reminded me of how something meant as a joke, could come off wrong in a letter because you don’t get to hear the person’s tone, etc.
    I had no intention for it to come off as some harsh criticism or whatever if that’s how you took it, or view it with the seriousness of horrible diseases or what not.

  • norcalking

    Gary,

    Excellent call. The thing about Seghesio is it’s bang for the buck. I am a big fan of Ridge, Lytton Springs, pretty much any Zin that they put out. Big wine. Heat, black pepper, hedonistic… but it ain’t exactly cheap. I stumbled across Seghesio (!) and immediately took to it. Especially at twenty skizzies. Nice place to taste as well, close to the town square.

    QOTD; One of the Supreme Court Justices, I think it was Earl Warren, said something like, “I can’t tell you what pornography is, but I know it when I see it.”
    Likewise, I can’t tell you exactly what good wine tastes like, wet stones, dry stones….. it just grabs me.

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