Varietal: Zinfandel
Region: California – Sonoma – USA
Cost: $20.50
Aromas of blueberry, bramble, chocolate, and white pepper. Â Crushed berries, mint, and tobacco on the palate with oak tones. Â Pairs well with grilled pork chops, braised ribs, Italian sausage, calzones, lasagna, manicotti, pizza, burgers, steaks, BBQ, fried chicken, meatloaf.
Recommendations: I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been a bit wary of Zinfandel of late. Â It’s not that I don’t like the grape, I’m a fan of it, especially this time of year, but I’ve seen a trend in really high alcohol content on it as of late, and of that I am not a fan. Â Fortunately, the bottle of Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Zinfandel that was sent to me by the International Wine of the Month Club had a much more modest alcohol content.
Sporting 13.5% by volume, the aromas of blueberry and white pepper were able to come through on the nose, not being overwhelmed by the alcohol. Â In the mouth I got tobacco and crushed berry, but none of the mint that was mentioned in the tasting notes (which is perfectly fine with me as I’m not a big fan of mint to be honest). Â Paired with a quick dinner of pizza, this was a perfect pairing and one I would gladly do again.
What I found most enjoyable about this wine was the fact that I could easily imagine pairing this with just about anything that I’ll be eating this summer – pizza, burgers, steaks, sausages, or pasta. Â The versatility of this wine makes it a great value and I definitely recommend grabbing a bottle if you’re looking for something to pair with your summer grilling.
I assume you don’t pay for these wines from “Int’l Wine club” because if you do I would stop. You could take the money you spend with them and do soooo much better at your local wine store. This wine and the last one you reviewed from them, the 06 Guigal Cote du Rhone are both in the market place as discounted wines or closeouts. The Dry Creek is available anywhere, even in VA, for much less then $20 ( I know that is a guideline) and the Guigal CDR is considered old and, if available, would be purchased at a closeout discount. Even the new vintage is under $10-12 bucks a bottle. You would be wise to stop using these guys to guide your reviewing palate.