Mount Bullion Vineyards Casto Oaks Zinfandel 2016, Sierra Foothills, California

Deep purple in color, almost Inky, with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, sweet oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, chocolates, coffee and black pepper.

Full bodied and smooth with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black plums, cooked cherries, oak, earth, vanilla, light bitter vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Nice tangy finish with raspberries and spices.

This is a very tasty Zinfandel from Sierra Foothills in California. Spicy and a good sipping wine.

Nicely balanced and easy drinking, with nicely integrated alcohol, so watch out.

This 6 year old is drinking very nicely now, with mild complexity and a great mouthfeel. Soft and elegant.

Good right out of the bottle, and tannins show up after 15 minutes of airtime. As it continues to open up, it shows more earth notes.

Will continue to drink nicely in the next few years.

Good by itself or with food, and will pair nicely with a burger.

100% Zinfandel grapes were aged for 19 months in neutral American oak. Unfiltered. A tiny production of only 4 barrels.

15.7% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$23.

Mount Bullion Vineyards Casto Oaks Zinfandel Rosé 2020, Sierra Foothills, California

Deep salmon in color.

Fruity nose of raspberries, citrus, apples, metals and light vegetables.

Medium in body and refreshing, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with strawberries, raspberries, lemons, citrus, green apples, light grapefruits, earth and light vegetables.

Showing mild complexity with a nice finish.

This is a nice Rosé from Sierra Foothills in California. Made with Zinfandel grapes, which is interesting.

Easy drinking and good for parties.

Nice and engaging and a good porch wine to have all by itself.

13% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$17.

Anarchist Wine Company Rage Against the Machine 2018, California

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Fruity nose with blueberries, black plums, blackcurrants, oak, licorice, earth, light vegetables, spices, tobacco and chocolates.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, blueberries, currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, bitter herbs, light vegetables and peppercorn.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice and easy drinking red wine from the North Coast in California. Fruit forward with mild complexity.

Still young and needs a couple of years in the bottle to mature.

Good by itself and better with food.

A good everyday wine that paired nicely with meats and cheeses.

A very interesting blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest is Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Gewürztraminer, Viognier and Zinfandel. A small production of less than 200 cases.

14.1% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$42.

Williams Selyem Papera Vineyard Zinfandel 2015, Russian River Valley, California

Light ruby in color with a wide reddish rim and medium intensity.

Fruity nose of strawberries, raspberries, sweet cherries, light wood, spices, earth, herbs, light vegetables and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with cherries, sweet strawberries, currants, oak, light vanilla, spices, dark chocolates, earth, light vegetables, tobacco leaf and peppercorn.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty and elegant Zinfandel from Russian River Valley. Nicely balanced and tangy.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, and remove some of the acidity. Worth the wait.

This Single Vineyard Zinfandel from the great 2015 vintage is starting to drink nicely now. Still young, and needs 3 to 5 years of bottle time, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

Good by itself, once it opens up. Showing nice complexity with a soft mouthfeel. Elegant and rich.

Thank you Wendy for sharing this with me.

I paired it with dried meats and olives.

Aged in French oak barrels for 14 months (23% new).

14.8% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$75.

Alexander Valley Vineyards Homestead Red Blend 2018 Sonoma County, California

It’s time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Dark ruby in color with a redish rim.

Strong nose of black currants, black cherries, plums, oak, licorice, barnyard, vegetables, bell pepper, herbs, earth and light black pepper.

Medium plus in body and smooth, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, wood, spices, light vanilla, tobacco, chocolates, dark coffee, earth, vegetables and graphite.

Medium finish with fine tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice Merlot based blend from Alexander Valley. Fruity, but with lots of vegetable notes. Very true to the region.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up. Easy drinking with a nice mouthfeel. A good everyday wine.

Feels young and will be better in the next 3 years.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses. Paired very nicely with the brie cheese.

A blend of 44% Merlot, 32% Zinfandel, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Grenache, 6% Mourvedre and 3% Syrah.

14% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$23.

Titus Vineyards Napa Valley Zinfandel 2017, California

This is very tasty Zinfandel from Napa Valley with nice complexity and a smooth mouthfeel.

Fruit forward and still young, but already very enjoyable.

Showing black fruits with oak, licorice, spices, coffee, vanilla, mocha, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso and chocolates.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with and very fruity with lots of chocolate notes.

Good right out of the bottle, but way better after an hour of airtime. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years.

Thank you Wendy for sharing.

Good by itself or with food, like BBQ burgers.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$35.

Van Asperen Vineyards Napa Valley Zinfandel 1997, California

So today my son got accepted to law school, and it’s time to celebrate with his birth year wine, that I kept for this occasion.

A pretty ruby in color with a wide brick/ brownish rim.

Wonderful nose of blueberries, blackberries, cooked strawberries, cedar, licorice, vanilla, cola, light forest floor, earth, light coffee, leather and Indian spices. Just beautiful.

Medium bodied, soft and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, stewed plums, cooked cherries, cedar, light vanilla, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, herbs, tobacco, light sweet vinaigrette and peppercorn.

Long finish with zero tannins and tangy raspberries.

What a wonderful 23 year old Zinfandel this is. Drinking so nicely and smoothly at this point. Showing great complexity with a great mouthfeel.

The high alcohol is very well integrated at this point. Delicious by itself or with food.

I did not decant it, and it was delicious right out of the bottle. Even better after 20 minutes.

Since I was drinking it (almost) by myself (covid), it lasted for 3 hours, and I really enjoyed it this whole time.

Elegant, rich and structured with a wonderful nose.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

15.8% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

Pestoni Family Estate Winery 1892 Field Blend 2017, California

For National Zinfandel Day, here is a nice one from California.

This is a nice and spicy Zinfandel based blend from Lake County, California. Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel.

Showing red and black fruits with chocolate notes, tobacco, light oak, earth, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate and easy drinking.

Nice finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

Good right out of the bottle and good by itself. Better once it opens up (30 minutes).

I had this vintage before, over a year ago, and it is drinking better now. A little high on alcohol so watch yourself 😉

I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

A blend of 83% Zinfandel, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petite Sirah.

14.7% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$30.

Scout and Cellar The Resident Zinfandel 2018 Mendocino County, California

This is a nice Zinfandel from Mendocino County in California. Simple and easy drinking.

Showing cherries, currants, blackberries, light wood, earth, vanilla, spices and chocolates.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity. A little hot, but with a nice mouthfeel.

Dry on the palate, jammy and very fruity.

Nice finish with fine-grained tannins and cherries.

A nice porch sipper, with a tangy ending. Good by itself or with food, and good right out of the bottle.

I had it with a gorgeous view, by the lake.

A blend of 85% Zinfandel and 15% Petite Sirah. Aged in French Oak barrels. Unfiltered and unfined. Vegan.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$24.

Foyt Family Wines No. 93 The Final Lap Non-Vintage, California 92

Dark ruby in color with a brick rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, sweet cherries, blackberries, dried figs, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, citrus, caramel, alcohol, peppercorn, maple, mocha, coke, chocolates and tobacco.

Medium plus in body with high acidity

Sweet on the palate with blackberries, cherries, blueberries, wood, cloves, vanilla, espresso, cola, spices, peppercorn, chocolates, tobacco, dark coffee and maple.

Long finish with citrus notes and honey.

This is a very tasty sweet dessert wine from California. Nicely balanced with enough acidity to balance out the sugars.

Showing lots of chocolate and coffee notes. Nice and tangy. Would be interesting to see how it evolves in the next 5 years.

Good by itself and good right out of the bottle.

A great dessert wine that will pair nicely with chocolates. I had it all by itself. Yummy and delicious.

18.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$45.