WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘Zinfandel’

With hundreds of wines to choose from in most stores, what factors do you consider when shopping for wine?  Do you look specifically at a wine’s place of origin, do you consider price, or do you base your wine purchases on the points awarded by large wine publications?  Chances are there are probably many factors that go into your wine buying decision.  One marketing tool that is catching on in the wine industry is the utilization of unique and eye-grabbing labels that will ultimately make a wine shopper take notice of it and head straight to the checkout counter.  Wine marketers believe that many shoppers are influenced by a wine’s label.  They point to the enormous success that the Australian brand Yellow Tail has enjoyed since 2005 with its familiar kangaroo on the label.  As a result, many other wineries around the world have tried to replicate this success with their own unique, one-of-a kind label to help them standout from the crowd.

One wine brand that knocks the ball out of the park, as far as wine labels go, is Wine Guerrilla.  Just one look at these exquisite looking labels is reason enough to purchase these wines.

I recently had the opportunity to sample both of these red Zinfandels, and it made me a believer that it is possible to pick up a delicious tasting vino based entirely on the label alone. 

Both of these stunning labels were created by Sean Colgin.  Mr. Colgin is a Los Angeles, California based artist.  He is also responsible for the creation of all of the beautifully made Wine Guerrilla labels.  After checking out Mr. Colgin’s artwork, I’ve decided to start a Sean Colgin Savings Account so that one day, I can purchase one of his masterpieces.

After salivating over the impressive packaging, I was really hoping that these two Wine Guerrilla Zinfandels would speak to my sense of taste just as much as these bottles spoke to my sense of sight. 

My wife and I first tried the 2007 Forchini Vineyards ‘old vine’ Russian River Valley Zinfandel.  Only 145 cases of this Zinfandel were produced.  It is made up of 83% Zinfandel with a 17% splash of Petite Sirah.  On a side note, both grapes used to make this particular wine came from the same ranch.  This beautiful looking bottle of Zinfandel retails for $30.

How did it taste?

The 2007 Forchini Vineyards ‘old vine’ Russian River Valley Zinfandel put my taste buds into pure black cherry bliss.  This wine starts with a big semi-sweet block of ripe cherry and closes out with the same wonderful cherry flavors through its finale.  This Zin is unfiltered and unfined, and it has an alcohol level of 15.4.  Surprisingly, you’d never guess that the alcohol level was so high, because it’s not in the least bit hot on your palate. 

The bottom line on this terrific tasting Zin:  If you like a big fruit-forward Zinfandel with a bit of sweetness, you won’t be disappointed!

I award the 2007 Forchini Vineyards ‘old vine’ Russian River Valley Zinfandel 3 stars out of 4. 

Next up for us, was the 2007 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel.  This Zinfandel is a blend of 86% Zinfandel, 6% Malbec, 4% Cab Franc, 4% Petite Sirah, and 1% of an unfamiliar grape called Alacante Bouchet.  This wine retails for $22.00.

How did this equally beautiful looking bottle of Zin taste?

Touchdown!  The 2007 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel is perfectly proportioned like having an appetizer, dinner and dessert all rolled up into one.  Where the 2007 Forchini Vineyards ‘old vine’ Russian River Valley Zinfandel was more fruit forward and ripe, the 2007 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel delivered a constant thumping stream of ripe berry flavors accented with spices and sweet oak from the beginning to the end.  Just as impressive as this Zin was and the bottle’s label, I also took note of the long tears or “legs” that ran down the inside of my glass.

Bottom line on the 2007 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel:  The folks at Wine Guerrilla have done an amazing job of complementing this impressive packaging with a commitment to filling the bottle with some killer juice that is equally as impressive!  The best part - they have released it to the public at a very attractive price!  “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!”  It’s a no-brainer on this wine – 4 stars out of 4!  I absolutely loved it and would pretty much drink it and stare at the label for as long as my leisure time would allow.

One final note about the awesome Wine Guerrilla Zinfandel wines:  The holidays are just around the corner, and a Wine Guerrilla Zin would make for a great gift or a great bottle to share with family and friends.

You can checkout the entire Wine Guerrilla portfolio here: http://www.wineguerrilla.com.

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From: California

Price: Way too much!

It’s a good thing that you only have to read this wine review and didn’t have to be witness to my raw emotional dislike for this farce of a wine like my wife did.  The profanity that left my mouth as I drank this $20 bottle of fake California Zin was not a pretty scene.  I had an incredible wine experience with the Michael and David Phillips Winery’s 2006 Earthquake Zinfandel, and gave it a raving review.  It was one of the best red wines that I’ve personally tasted this year.  

The question that I have for the Michael and David Phillips Winery is, “How do you go from a great tasting Zin at $25 bucks to an awful, fake tasting Zin at $20 bucks?”  The 2006 Earthquake Zin by the Michael and David Phillips Winery is awesome at around $25.  But at the $20 price point, this 7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel is nothing more than a $20 gag joke because of its labeling.

This Zin is fully “manufactured” and an utter disappointment.  It has that familiar “mad scientist in a lab” taste that I’ve become accustomed to tasting in so many California red wines this year.

If you enjoy your red wines tasting like Vanilla Cherry Coke then you might like this Zin.  For me, paying $20 and it not delivering anything close to its $25 2006 Earthquake Zin is a sin!

I give the 2007 7 Deadly Zins 1 Star. It’s just dreadful at $20 bucks a pop. 

WineLife365 Rating: 1-Star

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From: California

Price: $10.99

We’ve got an interesting situation here with this Zinfandel from California.  The wine comes from the “Peachy Canyon Winery”.  That already sounds pretty funny, right?  And the artwork for this bottle’s label is pretty engaging as well.  But alas, this bottle of Zinfandel makes a weighty claim – it indicates it’s an Incredible Red.   So the juice inside the bottle shall silence the amusement – right!?

Unfortunately, the 2006 Peachy Canyon Zinfandel is not even close to even being a Good Red.  This Zin was laughable all around, from its label to the contents inside the bottle.  It was watery thin and reminded me a lot of the 2006 Killer Juice Box Wine that we recently tried.  The Killer Juice Box might actually taste better!

The 2006 Peachy Canyon Incredible Red is less than mediocre – I give it 1 Star.

WineLife365 Rating: 1-Star

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From: California

Price: $13.95

Zinfandel is considered the “Great American Wine”.  However, the Zinfandel grape did not originate in the United States.  Grape DNA testing traced this grape’s origin back to Croatia and also revealed that it’s the same as the Italian Zinfandel known as “Primitivo”.

American red wine drinkers have embraced this grape for its whopping power and intensity.  I personally love the big and bad boldness of a great American Zin.  Unfortunately in 2009, none that I’ve tasted under $15.00 have been all that big and bad.  They’ve all been pretty mediocre and tasted like a bad lab experiment.

Fortunately, the 2006 Four Vines Zin was not a dud.  This Zin tasted rich and more expensive than what I actually paid for it.  It had a terrific berry and spice taste with a very good long finish.  This wine is as good as a $20 bottle of Zin.  I’m not quite ready to say that this Zin is the best under $15, but I’m sure that this one is better than most.  This is a very good Red Zinfandel to try.

I give it 3 Stars. It’s still too early in 2009 to proclaim this wine the best red Zin under $15 bucks. 

WineLife365 Rating: 3-Star

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