Dashe 2006 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley) – Muscular, but its structure is just beginning to turn graphite-like, which makes the wine feel a bit lighter than it actually is. And it’s not light. Dark boysenberry and olallieberry, little shocks of black dirt and peppercorn, and a pleasant leafiness somewhere in the foundation; this is very confident zinfandel. (7/12)
Browse Month
July 2012
Not so Swift
Orin Swift 2009 Zinfandel “Saldo” (California) – 15.1%. Dark, almost gelatinous fruit, with a thick, sticky balsamic glaze to it. The alcohol is prominent, for sure, both in its volatile form and as sheer weight. In shape and function, it satisfies a taste in wine that is decidedly not mine. (7/12)
Peter’s wine
Boekenhoutskloof “The Wolftrap” 2007 Syrah Mouvèrdre Viognier (Franschhoek) – This is a wine that often teeters on the edge of respectability for me, but in this vintage it’s on the right side of it. Barely. Incredibly dense, dark, very nearly syrupy fruit, but there’s just enough (dim) light and lift to keep it from being leaden. The floral element is very strong, and while it’s tempting to credit the viognier in the blend, I just don’t see that there’s enough to provide all of it. Maybe the mourvèdre helps. Who knows? For those who like unreconstructed big-ass hootie wines, this is a good low(ish)-cost candidate. (7/12)
Cassagne on the dotted line
Domaine de la Petite Cassagne 2010 Costières de Nîmes Rosé (Rhône) – Throaty pinkness, berries in the midst of their crush, and lavender-scented herbs in fine balance. Surprisingly nice. (7/12)
Sofia, not so good
Coppola 2009 Rosso (California) – Ticky-tack fruit, akin to red cherries from a can. This was always a highly “made” wine, but it used to be better. (7/12)
Formula Foreau 9
Foreau “Cuvée 2004-2005” Vouvray Brut (Loire) – Light, chalky, tentative, and lingering. Delicate yet not as weak as it seems. I quite enjoy this, though I’d be interested to see where it goes with more age. (7/12)
Lubenko of America
Sobon Estate 2005 Zinfandel Lubenko (Fiddletown) – 15.1%. Dark pineberry fruit, parchment tannin, and brittle acidity. Sobon is a producer whose wines rarely reach the pinnacles for me, yet this is a more exciting effort than I’m used to from them. There’s some extra peppery verve to it, and that coniferous aroma is exactly what one expects from the region. I really like this. (7/12)
Sobon Estate 2005 Zinfandel Lubenko (Fiddletown) – 15.1%. Absolutely identical in every possible way. Thank the closure. (7/12)
Georgia on my mind
Marietta “Old Vine Red Lot Number 56” (California) – Year after year (well, it’s true that I don’t drink it every years, anymore), this keeps chugging along as a big burst of succulent mixed berries. Big, bold, Californian: yes. Tastes more crafted than did its teen expressions, or that may just be my changing palate. But I’d have to work up a certain philosophical curmudgeonliness to reject it, and it doesn’t seem worth the effort. It’s a fun, representatively California party wine. (7/12)
By the horns
Taurino 2003 Salice Salentino “Riserva” (Puglia) – In days of yore (momma) this was a regular favorite. Time has not been kind, both to the wine and to my memory of it, and of course the year is no help. Like drinking fruited lead. (7/12)
A Coutale of two cities
Bernede “Clos La Coutale” 2009 Cahors (Southwest France) – Full of sap and chew, as so often lighter than the brackish aromas portend, yet alive in a scowling sort of fashion. There’s a minor burnt note on the finish that makes me wonder about the condition of the bottle, but otherwise it’s quite approachable. (7/12)