IN THIS ISSUE

Tasting Notes on New Releases

ZINFANDEL

New Releases

1. 2000 JC Cellars, "Rhodes Vineyard, Cuvée Isabel," Redwood Valley ($31) - Medium-dark purplish ruby color; very attractive, forward, herbal, spicy, distinctly varietal, raspberry and black cherry fruit aroma with overtones of creamy oak; full body; big, intense, jammy, highly extracted, ripe raspberry and black cherry fruit flavors with overtones of creamy oak and tending towards a very rich, late harvest style; medium-full to full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Shows a lot of oak though it is well integrated with the fruit. Very appealing to drink now. Very highly recommended. 14.8% alcohol; 385 cases; blended with 20% Petite Sirah (PS); released April 2002. (Group Score: 16.5 of 20 points, 7 of 14 first-place votes/0 seconds/0 thirds; My Score: 17 [92 of 100 points], first place)

3. 2000 Neese Vineyards, "Nonno Guiseppe," Redwood Valley ($16.95) - Medium to medium-dark ruby; attractive, forward, herbal, briary, plummy, raspberry fruit aroma with hints of vanilla and exotic spice; full body; herbal, rich, very ripe, highly extracted, red berry fruit flavors with overtones of vanilla; well structured; medium-full to full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Very appealing to drink now. Highly recommended. 15.5% alcohol; 1,200 cases; 100% Zinfandel; released June 2002. (Group Score: 16.0, 1/1/1; My Score: 16.5 [88/100], fourth place)

4. 2000 Rombauer Vineyards, El Dorado ($25) - Medium-dark ruby with purplish tinges; attractive, rich, intense, spicy, jammy, peppery, ripe red berry fruit aroma; full body; big, rich, jammy, highly extracted, very ripe berry fruit flavors in a slightly sweet late harvest style with overtones of creamy oak; medium-full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Highly recommended. 15.5% alcohol; 6,900 cases; 100% Zinfandel; released January 2002. (Group Score: 15.9, 0/2/2; My Score: 16.5 [89/100], third place)

5. 2000 Sobon Estate, Fiddletown ($18) - Medium ruby; attractive, floral, herbal, briary, cherry and raspberry fruit aroma with a slight hint of volatile acidity; full body; forward, rich, plummy, ripe currant and raspberry fruit flavors; medium-full to full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Very drinkable now. Highly recommended. 14.9% alcohol; 1,200 cases; 100% Zinfandel; released February 2002. (Group Score: 15.9, 2/1/1; My Score: 16.5 [88/100], fifth place)

6. 2000 Ridge, "Lytton Springs," Dry Creek Valley ($30) - Medium-dark purplish ruby; forward, intense, youthful, herbal, briary, jammy, blackberry fruit aroma; medium-full to full body; sharp, jammy, herbal, very ripe berry fruit flavors; slightly harsh finish; lingering aftertaste. Shows a lot of ripe fruit and should continue to develop with several more years of bottle aging. Highly recommended. 14.8% alcohol; 9,836 cases; blended with 20% PS; released April 2002. (Group Score: 15.9, 0/0/1; My Score: 16.5 [88/100], sixth place)

7. 2000 Ridge, Paso Robles ($25) - Medium-dark ruby; attractive, herbal, plummy, briary, very ripe raspberry and currant aroma with a hint of saddle leather; medium-full body; rich, jammy, ripe red currant and raspberry fruit flavors with good depth; well balanced; medium to medium-full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Improved with airing in the glass and is easy to drink now. Highly recommended. 14.5% alcohol; 3,252 cases; 100% Zinfandel; released April 2002. (Group Score: 15.8, 0/1/3; My Score: 16.5 [88/100], seventh place)

8. 2000 Collier Falls, "Private Reserve," Dry Creek Valley ($26) - Medium-light to medium ruby; candied, floral, herbal, briary, spicy, cedary, strawberry and raspberry fruit aroma; medium-full body; slightly sweet, herbal, jammy, raspberry and strawberry fruit flavors; medium-full tannin; slightly tart finish; lingering aftertaste. Highly recommended. 14.6% alcohol; 1,500 cases; blended with 2% PS; released April 2002. (Group Score: 15.8, 1/2/1; My Score: 16.5 [85/100], ninth place)

9. 2000 Napa Wine Co., Napa Valley ($20) - Medium to medium-dark ruby; pleasant, floral, spicy, fragrant raspberry and blackberry fruit aroma with notes of coffee and vanilla; medium-full body; big, forward, rich, chunky, chocolatey, mouth filling, ripe berry fruit flavors; full tannin; somewhat harsh on the finish; lingering aftertaste. Highly recommended. 14.8% alcohol; 500 cases; 100% Zinfandel; released June 2002. (Group Score: 15.8, 0/1/0; My Score: 16.5 [87/100], eighth place)

10. 2000 Ridge, "Sonoma Station," Sonoma County ($20) - Medium-dark ruby; intense, forward, briary, jammy, raspberry fruit aroma with a hint of anise; medium-full to full body; big, rough, herbal, cedary, ripe berry fruit flavors with overtones of creamy oak; medium-full to full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Recommended. 14.7% alcohol; 10,165 cases; blended with 16% PS and 9% Carignane; released April 2002. (Group Score: 15.5, 0/1/2; My Score: 16 [84/100], tenth place)

11. 2000 Sobon Estate, "Rocky Top," Shenandoah Valley ($15) - Medium to medium-dark ruby; attractive, forward, rich, spicy, raspberry fruit aroma that developed with airing in the glass; medium-full to full body; forward, rich, herbal, briary, red berry fruit flavors; well balanced; full tannin; somewhat harsh and tannic on the finish; lingering aftertaste. Recommended. 14.9% alcohol; 1,365 cases; blended with 18% Carignane; released February 2002. (Group Score: 15.4, 0/1/0; My Score: 16 [84/100], eleventh place)

12. 2000 Sobon Estate, "Cougar Hill," Shenandoah Valley ($15) - Medium to medium-dark ruby; muted, slightly stemmy, brambly red berry fruit aroma with notes of chocolate and anise; medium-full body; tight, slightly tart, red currant flavors with a hard oaky core; slightly harsh and dry on the finish; lingering aftertaste. Lacking a bit in varietal character. Recommended. 13.9% alcohol; 1,018 cases; blended with 10% Primitivo; released March 2002. (Group Score: 15.3, 0/0/0; My Score: 16 [84/100], twelfth place)

True Ranking: [1, 2] [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] [10, 11, 12]

June-July 2002

ABOUT OUR TASTING NOTES

OUR TASTING NOTES are the result of weekly double-blind tastings held in San Diego and sponsored by the California Grapevine. Our scoring system is based on a 20-point scale. My own adaption of the 20-point scale uses a six point range of the scale (13 through 18 points) with 0.5 point increments providing eleven possible ratings. I also include a score based on a 100-point scale using the following criteria:

"My Score" 100-Point

Based on Equivalent Quality

20 Points Score Description

17-18 90-100 Outstanding

16-16.5 80-89 Good to very good

15-15.5 70-79 Average to good

14-14.5 60-69 Below Average

13-13.5 50-59 Poor

While a score given on a 100-point scale may infer a high degree of precision in evaluating a wine, the threshold for repeatability generally falls within one or two points for even the best palate. One or two points difference between wines should not be considered significant.

The group score and the number of first, second, and third-place votes appear, along with my (editor Nick Ponomareff's) own scores and relative ranking, in parentheses after the comments on each wine. (Note that the group score is an average of all tasters and its value doesn't necessarily equate to the 20-point criteria presented above. The group score should be interpreted as merely an indication of group preference.)

A "True Ranking" based on a statistical analysis of the results appears at the end of each set of tasting notes. Wines that do not differ significantly from one another are grouped in brackets.