The holiday weekend is over but we’re still talking zinfandel, which happened to be the wine of choice for our grilled foods this weekend.  When you’ve got rich flavors, like barbecue sauce, you need a wine that can stand up next to them and not get lost.  Zinfandel is just the kind of wine to do that.

The review tonight is for the “Epicenter” old vine zinfandel from Mettler Family Vineyards.  This is a family vineyard in Lodi, California with family roots in the wine industry going back to 1770!

When it comes to zinfandel, there can be quite a bit of variation in how the wine is expressed.  Some folks like a more elegant and approachable zinfandel, while others like them big and aggressive.  If you’re in the latter camp, this may be one for you.

There’s quite a bit of intensity on the nose of this wine.  There’s also a strong alcohol vapor.  With high alcohol wines, sometimes the fumes can be a bit intense, and that’s the case with this one, making it a bit out of balance.  Beyond the fumes, this wine offers aromas of herbs, coffee and fruitcake.  The palate is loaded with thick, jammy fruit flavors like cherry and black currant.  It also has coffee notes and spice.  It finishes with plum and black pepper.  This is a pretty intense wine and would go best with rich foods, like barbecue.

Wine: Mettler Family Vineyards - Epicenter
Variety: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 15.8%
Rating: 86
Price:  $19.99

Find Mettler Family Vineyards - Epicenter Zinfandel with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.