Napa Valley, California
15.4 % Alcohol
Tasted 2014-08-28
This bottle was an ebay bottle. I bought it as part of a batch of bottles from one seller. Originally I was only interested in the Turley Zins this seller offered, but this bottle was so cheap that I took it in addition (3.50 € / approx. 4.60 $). To get the bottle was a little bit difficult. Somewhat chaotic the seller sent the whole packet first to the wrong address. So it took in the end nearly three weeks for it to reach my cellar and during these weeks the wines were most on travel. In a nutshell: I didn't expect something from this bottle. Big mistake!
One evening a good friend and I were still a little bit thirsty. In contradiction to my wife this friend also likes Zins and so my wife didn't complain when we opened it. Plastic cork . No good sign. Then the first surprise. In the glass deep cherry red. Nearly no lighting rims. Looks very young. Aromas of ripe blackberries paired with wet forest floor. A little bit like a forest after rainfall when it is still steamy. In the mouth extremely mild. Wonderful rest sweetness. Fruity; the alcohol perfectly integrated. Long finish. Very, very good. Another perfect example for the quality of the Mondavi wines in the era of Timothy und Robert Michael Mondavi.
The wine is absolutely on the top. Indeed I believe you must be very lucky to get another bottle of this quality. If you want to criticize something then the fact that this wine is not a typical Zin. If you offer a blind tasting with California Cabs from the nineties, integrate this wine as a pirate. Integrate it in a BBQ dinner with a little bit more sweet sauce.
Friday, August 29. 2014
1997 Robert Mondavi Winery Zinfandel (91/100)
Sunday, August 10. 2014
2008 Thumbprint Cellars Syrah Ramazzotti Vineyard (89/100)
Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California
15.8 % Alcohol
Tasted 2014-07-31
We visited the tasting room of Thumbprint Cellars in Healdsburg last in October 2012. Doing wine tastings at Healdsburg Plaza is quite a challenging thing. You visit a tasting room and get immediately a recommendation for the next one. And so on and so on... If you start early in the morning you have to be careful with the amount of wine you taste. Especially because you can walk from one tasting room to the next one without using a car. And even more because the people in the tasting rooms are extremely cordial. A place like paradise for wine friends.
Thumbprint Cellars was a recommendation of the people from La Crema nearby. All wines were very good, but we loved most the Syrahs and bought two bottles. One we emptied the same evening in the wonderful Dry Creek Kitchen restaurant on the other side of the street. The other one waited for nearly two years in our cellar...
The Syrah from the Ramazzotti Vineyard offered a medium cherry red colour with some light rims. This Syrah is more a fruity one. Aromas of cherries, blackberries and some blueberries are clearly dominating. In the mouth the high alcohol is present but very well integrated. It reminds a little bit of liqueur. A rich wine which needs a strong partner. We opened it for a wonderful beef fillet and it was a very good combination. The wine didn't try to outplay the fillet, but enriched the flavours of the beef by a fruity note. Excellent.
This vegan wine is on the top and will hold its quality for another two years. Only 225 cases were produced from this nice Syrah. If you have a chance to buy it, don't wait.
15.8 % Alcohol
Tasted 2014-07-31
We visited the tasting room of Thumbprint Cellars in Healdsburg last in October 2012. Doing wine tastings at Healdsburg Plaza is quite a challenging thing. You visit a tasting room and get immediately a recommendation for the next one. And so on and so on... If you start early in the morning you have to be careful with the amount of wine you taste. Especially because you can walk from one tasting room to the next one without using a car. And even more because the people in the tasting rooms are extremely cordial. A place like paradise for wine friends.
Thumbprint Cellars was a recommendation of the people from La Crema nearby. All wines were very good, but we loved most the Syrahs and bought two bottles. One we emptied the same evening in the wonderful Dry Creek Kitchen restaurant on the other side of the street. The other one waited for nearly two years in our cellar...
The Syrah from the Ramazzotti Vineyard offered a medium cherry red colour with some light rims. This Syrah is more a fruity one. Aromas of cherries, blackberries and some blueberries are clearly dominating. In the mouth the high alcohol is present but very well integrated. It reminds a little bit of liqueur. A rich wine which needs a strong partner. We opened it for a wonderful beef fillet and it was a very good combination. The wine didn't try to outplay the fillet, but enriched the flavours of the beef by a fruity note. Excellent.
This vegan wine is on the top and will hold its quality for another two years. Only 225 cases were produced from this nice Syrah. If you have a chance to buy it, don't wait.
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