Finding a suitable Zin under
ten is no easy task. The following final
seven met the price and availability criteria
and, in our opinion, best represent what
a Zinfandel should be: round, smooth,
with plenty of peppery zip and ripe berry.
We hope you all enjoy the fruits of our
wine tasting labor!
.
"Although '98 was a tough year in
California, we just had this wine with
Santa Maria style tri-tip (grilled beef)
last weekend after a long day of river
rafting. It's a jammy, juicy style with
the deep raspberry fruit of warm climates
and a bit of backbone from cooler vineyards.
I noticed that it is starting to get some
leathery, raisiny complexity to it now
that it has been in the bottle for a bit.
Winemaker Chris Smith is a master blender,
and he delivers real value." Elaine
Smith of Wine
Update. Visit the Bogle site for a
list of distributors in your area by
clicking here.
.
Dark cherry and juicy berry blend with
a pinch of pepper and a hint of oak to
make this a perfectly love Zin.
. Having
heard good things about this Cline Zinfandel,
I was anxious to give it a try. As I grabbed
the last bottle on the shelf, I took this
apparent popularity as another promising
sign. I popped the cork and was definitely
not disappointed. Nice spice and a splash
of mocha.
. This
wine’s name pays homage to the Fetzer
family’s original vineyard. And,
happily enough, this traditional blackberry-pepper
Zin is a fitting tribute. Nothing revolutionary
here, just a classically good Zin at a
great price.
. This easy drinking Zin is
full of taste and a favorite standby of
John "Holy Zin, Batman!" Stine
(Member, Team ETFOFW). Nothing terribly
complicated, but a consistently good wine
at a remarkably good price.
.
A particular favorite of the Wine Skinny
and a recent Weekend Wine pick. "Perfect
with a cheeseburger (and what isn't?),
this Zin was full of peppery zip, bright
red cherry and smooth blueberry, and a
touch of young vanilla oak. Yummy."
.
Although I certainly trust the Mondavi
name, I just wasn’t expecting much
for the price. Well, color me pleasantly
surprised. Just the right amount of pepper
spice with berry and dried plum flavors.
Thanks again to everyone
who contributed to our Seven Deadly Zins
picks, including Nancy Flesch who broke
the final seven stalemate with her helpful
comments. Yes, one vote can make a difference.
To everyone who has sent me an ETFOFW
suggestion -- you rock! As for the rest
of you, what's the dealio? Let me know
about your favorite ETFOFW. Just drop
us a line at editor@wineskinny.com.
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Ravenswood