wineries .

Z I N F A N D E L 99 MANZANITA CREEK 2008 Zinfandel Carreras Ranch - Dry Creek Valley $42 99 MANZANITA CREEK 2010 Zinfandel Three Vines - Sonoma Coast $28 Wow! A rich, jammy, spicy wine that’s about as perfect as a zin can be. Classic raspberry, cherry, plum, pepper spice and some floral elements, with just the right amount of oak, all come together in a beautifully-balanced, wonderfully-crafted wine that leads to a long, spicy, lingering finish. This is what zin is supposed to be! 98 MANZANITA CREEK 2009 Zinfandel Three Vines - Sonoma Coast $25 98 MANZANITA CREEK 2009 Old Vine Zinfandel Cloud Buster - Russian River Valley $28 97 PEDRONCELLI 2010 Zinfandel Mother Clone - Dry Creek Valley $16 97 PEDRONCELLI 2009 Zinfandel Mother Clone - Dry Creek Valley $15 97 SOBON ESTATE 2008 Zinfandel Cougar Hill - Amador County $17 Mirroring the 2008 Fiddletown Zin, this is another rich, spicy zin with wonderful a mouthfeel of raspberry, cherry, licorice and freshly ground pepper. The long lingering finish offers up some nice chocolate and oak nuances to add to the complexity. 97 VIE 2008 L' Estranger The Stranger - Sonoma County $39 Pretty raspberry, blackberry and cherry aromas, with pepper spice, light cola and oak nuances. This is a wonderfully-balanced wine, with the smooth, sexy qualities of syrah fortified with upfront zinfandel fruit and a nice backbone supplied by petite sirah. 97 VIE 2007 L'Etranger Zinfandel Blend Sonoma County $39 Pretty raspberry, blackberry and cherry aromas, with pepper spice, light cola and oak nuances. The much overused “iron fist in a velvet glove” is the only appropriate description of this wine, with the smooth, sexy qualities of syrah fortified with upfront zinfandel fruit and a nice backbone supplied by petite sirah. Yummy! 96 BOGLE 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel California $11 96 GRACIANNA 2009 Zinfandel Bacigalupi Vineyard - Russian River Valley $42 96 HOOK & LADDER 2009 Zinfandel Estate Bottled - Russian River Valley $22 96 MANZANITA CREEK 2009 Zinfandel Addor - Mendocino County $25 96 POMAR JUNCTION VINEYARD 2007 Zinfandel Monterey $34 96 SHENANDOAH VINEYARDS 2010 Zinfandel Special Reserve - Amador County $10 An almost Nouveau-like nose of fresh red fruit, spice and wild blackberries. This wine is a bit deceiving as it’s light enough to possibly chill a bit (not too much) and drink alone, but bold enough to stand up to heavier dishes. It’s well balanced, fruit-forward with a long, lingering finish. Excellent for the price! 96 SOBON ESTATE 2010 Zinfandel Cougar Hill - Amador County $18 Forward dusty raspberries, black cherries, cranberries and prunes plums, with complements of licorice, pepper spice, chocolate, vanilla and oak. This is a rich, well-balanced wine delivering all of the aromas on the palate, and ending in a long, lingering, slightly sticky finish. 96 SOBON ESTATE 2010 Zinfandel Rocky Top - Amador County $17 Pretty nose of dried raspberries, black cherries, pruned plums and pepper spice, with light mineral dust, coffee/black tea, cocoa, vanilla and oak. The palate delivers the same in a well-balanced, round body leading to a nice lingering slightly-spicy finish. 96 SOBON ESTATE 2010 Zinfandel Hillside - California $13 Fresh raspberry, cherry strawberry and pepper aromas, with light clove, dust and oak following. The palate shows great character, with spicy fruit flavors wrapped in secondary elements leading to a wonderfully-long, lingering finish. Buy this by the case! 96 SOBON ESTATE 2009 Old Vines Zinfandel Amador County $12 Pretty raspberry, cherry and blackberry aromas, with pepper spice, light cola and oak nuances. Well-balanced and tasty, this is a great everyday zinfandel that you should buy by the case! 96 SOBON ESTATE 2009 Zinfandel Fiddletown $22 Pretty dusty blackberry, raspberry, cherry and licorice aromas, with pepper spice, light cola, chocolate and oak nuances. Really well-balanced and tasty, with s soft, rich palate and long-lingering round finish. This is a great example of zinfandel from this appellation. 96 SOBON ESTATE 2008 Zinfandel Fiddletown $20 Fresh raspberry, cherry and pepper aromas, with light clove, dust and oak following. A rich and complex wine, with a bold and spicy palate, forward fruit, spicy pepper notes and a classic zinfandel finish. 96 SOL ROUGE 2007 Zinfandel Lake County $24 Fresh raspberry and pepper attacks your nose, with clove, cherry, chocolate and oak following. A rather bold and spicy palate, with forward fruit, spicy white pepper notes and a classic zinfandel finish. 96 VIE 2008 Zinfandel Beatty Ranch - Howell Mountain - Napa Valley $39 Fresh raspberry jam, cherry, wild blackberry and pepper in the nose, with clove, cherry, chocolate and oak following. A zesty bold and spicy palate, with forward fruit and a classic zinfandel finish. 95 BLISS FAMILY VINEYARDS 2010 Zinfandel Mendocino $12 At first this wine isn’t terribly varietal, presenting nice red wine aromas of cherry, raspberry, prune, pepper spice and touches of oak. But as the wine opens it becomes more zin-like, with the raspberry and pepper spice characteristics leading the way to a delightfully-long finish. Let breathe. 95 BRUTOCAO 2009 Zinfandel Hopland Ranches - Mendocino $22 Jammy raspberry, cherry, strawberry, light blackberry, cola and pepper spice are kissed with vanilla and oak. A nice, well-balanced, spicy palate with jammy fruit and a lingering slightly tart finish. 95 MCFADDEN 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel 40th Anniversary Edition - Mendocino $24 Candied raspberry, cherry and strawberry aromas mingle with herbaceous black pepper spice and light amounts on vanilla and oak. If you want a huge, chewy, jammy zin, this is not your wine. This is a medium-bodied, food-friendly wine that’s well-balanced and exhibits great zin character without all of the heavy baggage most zins have these days. 95 OAKVILLE WINERY 2009 Zinfandel Oakville - Napa Valley $25 Opens with heavy blackberry, black raspberry, black cherry and oak aromas, with undertones of anise, pepper-spice, licorice, vanilla and chocolate. Same elements follow through on the palate, in a well-balanced, full-bodied wine that fills the mouth all the way through the nice round-tannin finish. 95 PEDRONCELLI 2009 Zinfandel Bushnell Vineyard - Dry Creek Valley $20 95 R&B CELLARS 2010 Zinfandel Zydeco - Napa Valley $30 Pretty raspberry, cherry, blackberry, briar and anise enveloped in pepper spice and a good dose of spicy oak. Nice character on the palate, a bit oaky but the fruit underneath is fresh and just enough to carry it through the lingering finish. 95 ROCK WALL 2009 Zinfandel Stagecoach Vineyard - Napa Valley $40 95 SOL ROUGE 2008 Zinfandel Lake County $28 Fresh raspberry jam, cherry, wild blackberry and pepper in the nose, with clove, cherry, chocolate and oak following. A zesty bold and spicy palate, with forward fruit and a classic zinfandel finish. 94 CHESSMAN 2010 Zinfandel Lodi $13 94 R&B CELLARS 2009 Zinfandel Zydeco - Napa Valley $28 Deep aromas of blackberry, raspberry, cherry/black cherry and plum, surrounded by chocolate, vanilla, spice and oak, with hints of earth and flesh. This is what you’d expect from a Napa zin: dark berry fruits supported by a good complement of oak, ending in a firm but balanced finish. 94 SOBON ESTATE 2009 ReZerve Zinfandel Amador County $24 A bit closed when first opened, this wine will benefit from some air. After it had a chance to open, this wine displayed black raspberry, berry, cocoa and plum aromas wrapped in vanilla and oak. The palate mirrored the aromas, adding a touch of mulberry in the lingering finish. 94 SOBON ESTATE 2008 ReZerve Zinfandel Amador County $24 A full nose of ripe raspberry, blackberry, plum, blueberry, chocolate and oak. A bit hard-edged on the palate, this wine delivers the same flavors in a body that could use a bit more time to round out. Still, this wine is very flavorful and will only improve with some age. 94 VIE 2007 Zinfandel Beatty Ranch Vineyard; Howell Mountain - Napa Valley $39 Compact raspberry, blackberry, cherry and cola aromas, with pepper spice, chocolate and hints of oak. Full-bodied, bold, spicy fruit in a well-balanced lingering finish. Can use a little age to open up. 93 FORCHINI 2009 Old Vine Zinfandel Proprietor's Reserve - Dry Creek Valley $28 93 SOBON ESTATE 2009 Zinfandel Rocky Top - Amador County $17 A firm but flavorful wine displaying blackberry, dark raspberry, cherry and chocolate aromas and flavors, with touched of licorice, pepper spice and prune, ending in a nice, long lingering finish. 93 SOBON ESTATE 2009 Zinfandel Cougar Hill - Amador County $18 Pretty aromas of blackberry, raspberry, cherry, licorice and oatmeal cookies, with hints of chocolate, prune and pepper spice. A bit more approachable that the Rocky Top, this wine delivers the same on the palate with a bit more spice in the long lingering finish. 93 THE WINERY SF 2010 Zinfandel North Coast $24 Pretty raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry and cherry aromas, with pepper spice, light cola and oak nuances. A little tight on the palate, the fruit flavors battle with the oak on the lingering finish. 92 BLISS FAMILY VINEYARDS 2009 Zinfandel Mendocino $12 Although this wine isn’t terribly varietal, it does offer tasty red and black fruit flavors in a spicy body complemented by just the right amount of vanilla and oak. It did open nicely overnight, so either give it some time or decant. 92 THOMAS HENRY 2011 Zinfandel California $18 Nice black cherry, raspberry, blackberry and plum aromas with some spice, light chalk/minerals and chocolate/oak. Although not terribly varietal, this is a well-balanced, tasty wine with good fruit flavors and a nice, little sticky, lingering finish. 91 ZINSATIONAL 2010 Zinfandel Lodi $12 91 R&B CELLARS 2010 Zinfandel Swingsville - Contra Costa $13 Aromas of fresh raspberry, strawberry, cherry and blueberry, with complements of pepper spice and oak. Although not terribly varietal, this is a nice, well-balanced red wine, with good mouthfeel and a smooth, round finish. 91 SAN MARCOS CREEK 2009 Zinfandel Paso Robles $26 91 SOBON ESTATE 2010 Old Vines Zinfandel Amador County $13 A shy nose of raspberry, blackberry, cherry, prune and spice, with touches of chocolate and oak. This is an everyday drinking zin, with nice balance and a round lingering finish. 90 DANCING BULL 2011 Zinfandel Winemaker's Reserve - California $12 90 THE WINERY SF 2008 Zinfandel North Coast $24