Nathan, I couldn’t agree more and I’m also a big fan of Broc and Hobo.
I think exciting things are happening in the Zin (and “Trib”) world.
A wine I’ve never tasted, but is already a favorite (if that’s possible) is the yet to be released Arnot-Roberts “Kirchenmann” Zin from Lodi. IIRC, under 13% alcohol and very feminine in style. Bedrock, Turley, Carlisle? will also be taking fruit from this vineyard.
Here are Tegan and Olivia taking fruit at Kirchenmann:
What producers do people think make the highest acidity zinfandels? I haven’t heard a discussion framed this way. That’s one of the things that attracts me to the Nalle Dry Creek Valley bottling.
I feel I can spend $75 on cab without a thought(well some thought!) and pucker at the thought of spending $50 on a Zin --does this happen to others out there??
This is a good list with most of the usual suspects popping up. I have regularly bought and enjoyed Bedrock, Frank Family, Neal, Ridge, and Turley. Used to like some of the Rosenblums and Joel Gott. And I was reminiscing about some of the single vineyard Ravenswood wines the other day, and might have to give a recent vintage of one of those a go soon.
I didn’t see a mention of Marietta Old Vine Lot. Not in the same league as some of these but great QPR at < $15.
First tier: Carlisle and Ridge
Second: Turley and Bedrock, need to try more but could elevate to first tier. Also Biale and Seghesio but don’t drink as many of them as I used too.
2009 Black Sears Winery Zinfandel Estate- USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (5/3/2012)
Superlatives! You want superlatives. Ok. This is a GREAT zinfandel! Absolutely exceptional. We drank this at the vineyard with Chris Jambois of the winery. The vines are 37 years old on an east facing plot at the absolute top of Howell Mountain. Thomas Rivers Brown is the winemaker. Great terroir and a great winemaker generate the best zinfandel I have ever tasted, and an hour earlier I had said the same thing about neighboringg Outpost Zinfandel, but this is actually better. My wife agrees. It’s not because it is a jammy zinfandel fruit bomb. It is a deliciously spicy blend of smooth white pepper, smokey black pepper, meat juice and plumy cherry fruit. I had never heard of Black Sears until the guys at Outpost told us we had to drive up the road to see them, and then called to make arrangements with Chris to let us taste their wines. The wine had a pepper nose and a long, fruity back of the mouth finish. It was bone dry and there was no apparent sweetness that others refer to as jammy. This wine alone was worth the trip. Discovering something new that is this good is so rare that it just makes the day. (95 pts.)
2009 Outpost Zinfandel Howell Mountain- USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (5/3/2012)
Until we went up the road from Outpost to Black Sears because the Outpost guys told us about it, this was the best Zinfandel we had ever had. Not your fancy winery tasting at a big table with a formal line up and a marketing director to give a speech about the complex components of the wine. This was a glass in the office with Rich Smock, John Gianini and the other guy from Rivers Marie whose name I can’t remember. But what a glass. No unctious port-like zinfandel pouring like honey (though I have nothing against that either). This was the Howell Mountain stuff, with two doses of pepper (smoky black and smooth white) mixed with dark fruit and a tiny touch of vanilla for balance. Very long finish, easy to drink, a WOW wine and an outstanding Zin. Thomas Rivers Brown knows how to make zin and he got some great fruit for this one to show his talents. The only zin I had ever had before that left such an impression was the 2006 Carlisle Montafi Ranch, but this was a bit better, with more spice than fruit in the balance. (94 pts.)
2006 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlo’s Ranch- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (2/25/2011)
Beating my way up the Zambesi, crocodiles to the left of me and hippopotamuses to the right of me, I search for a wine worthy of a gathering of the real wine people. Eureka. I have found it. Not a wine to take with you to the ballet. No, actually, it is a wine for the ballet - Firebird suite. Or Rites of Spring. This wine explodes like Stravinsky. It’s still a bit rough around the edges and probably will do well after a few more years in the bottle, but right now it is an explosion of red fruit, black fruit and pepper spice with a bit of bramble herbs. A lot of apparent sweetness from the strong fruit, but no sugar. The color is almost impenetrably dark and the finish was very long. (92 pts.)
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