One of my new favorite Zins.

Visited this winery in CA this year.

http://www.battagliniwines.com/



2001 Zinfandel Proprietor's Reserve $29.00
A Complex and yet very smooth wine with a fine structure. Long finish with pepper, raspberry and blackberry flavors
Awards: Gold Medal California State Fair and Silver Medal Orange County Fair

Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That's all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at, and I sigh.

I truly, madly, deeply adore Zinfandel but I have a nagging distrust of Zins over $20. The wonderful Lytton Springs zins I used to buy at $10 a bottle were, prior to that, one of the principal ingredients in Gallo's Hearty Burgundy at $3 a half-gallon.

It seems somehow dishonest that these wonderful old California 'Dago Red' (if you will excuse the expression) field blend vineyards that were planted to supply these Italian families' drinking habits should somehow rise to the price of fine Burgundy.

I squarely blame Wine Spectator. They're doing it with Rhones, Italians and Chileans too. A blight on the marketplace for the consumer.

The Battaglini's moved to Sonoma about 15 years ago. The moved from Italy. Yes, the Twin Pines Vineyards used to supply grapes to larger wineries but when Joe and his wife moved here and purchased the vineyard, he started to make his own wine. At first he sub-contracted the actual wine making but in 1998 he started making the wine himself. His 1998 Zin is absolute heaven. It has aged well and still has a few more years left in it.

There are a lot of wines out there for sure. I do like the way this man makes his and as such I have become a member of his club. He sends one red and one white every two months. We look forward to them.

I don't understand
Being all agape
Over a bunch
Of tiny smashed grapes.

quote:

Originally posted by Anonymous Undies:
I don't understand
Being all agape
Over a bunch
Of tiny smashed grapes.

Anonymous undies answer to the question "how many drinks does it take to make you silly?"

"Three. And don't call me silly!"

The proof's all in the proof, isn't it, Blondy?

But to give a straight from the - shoulder answer, I can probably drink you right into the ground and dance a samba around you with nary a stumble.

You ARE more absorbant for one!

Coppola 2004 Pinot Noir. Very nice,

Still raving about Mark west Pinot at almost half the price.

jf

Ravenswood is putting out their Napa and Sonoma zins at about $12-13 these days. Nice stuff.

The Ravenswood Zins are quite nice, but can sometimes be just a tad short of cloyingly overextracted. That's the danger of the Zinfandel grape; the wines made from it can be easily turned into plonk. The trick is to retain some of the fruitiness without it turning into something that tastes like a fruit roll-up, something that tempers Zinfandel's high sugar/low acid combination with an appropriate level of dryness (and without an alcohol content that will knock you off your chair).

If you like the Ravenswood, you should also try Renwood's Old Vines Zin. It's a refined effort in the same price range. Sure, the grapes are sourced from some of the old vineyards in the Sierra foothills that have produced horridly thick Zinfandels in the past. But when properly vinified, these grapes can be a revelation. I think the secret is oak: not too much.

Also enjoyed earlier this week was a 2002 Ridge Geyserville (mostly Zinfandel with some Carignane and Petite Sirah). It was dense and smoky, but with a dark fruity nose and a very firm finish. An outstanding food wine.

Agreed. I think August Briggs is, although a great winemaker, one of those who tends to the more raisiny side of things. I don't find the Ravenswood wines cross that line. And I love good Amador zins.

However, the folks at Renwood were exceptionally rude to us, so I make it a point not to buy their wines.

Had a glass of this at a restaurant last night. I had some hesitation because of the cute name, but it was quite good.

jf

Screw-top caps make sense, but take a look at this:


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The next big thing in wine could be a screw-cap, single-serve plastic bottle

http://pajamasmedia.com/newsml/html/2005/11/30/6539900_The_next_big_thi.shtml


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DP

P.S. Still making notes based on the great recommendations.

Why not? The airlines have been doing it for a longtime. I personally love the new screwcaps.