Over the last year or so I’ve done some ranting about zinfandel blends and how I see a growing demand for these wines.  Apothic Red is one incredibly popular example of this style of wine appealing to consumers and now Gnarly Head has come out with their own answer to the zinfandel blend with Authentic Red.

Gnarly Head Authentic Red hails from Lodi, California, which I consider to be the zinfandel capital of the world.  There’s something about Lodi that just makes it an ideal location for zinfandel.  It could be the climate, it could be the soil, it could be the people… but it’s probably a combination of those.  And, what’s more, 2010 was a great year for Lodi zinfandel.

OK… so, I’m going on about the zinfandel part of this, but that’s not all that’s in this wine.  The blend here is 50% zinfandel, 20% merlot, 17% cabernet sauvignon, 10% petite sirah and 3% syrah.

The nose on this wine is intense and beautiful, with cherry cola, blackberry and spice aromas.  The palate is fruit-forward—very fruit-forward—with rich, juicy blackberry, black cherry and blueberry flavors.  In a way, it’s almost like a slice of blueberry pie.  While I wouldn’t call this a sweet wine, there is a definite sweetness to the fruit flavors.  On the mid-palate, dark chocolate flavors show up to the party.  The acidity is good and the mouthfeel is nice.  It finishes long with lingering chocolate and black cherry flavors.

This isn’t a wine that’s going to appeal to snobs looking for a refined and elegant wine.  This is a casual, fun wine with bold flavors that are intense enough to stand up to rich foods like barbecue or burgers.  Those looking for a rich, juicy, fruit-forward wine will love this one.

Wine: Gnarly Head Authentic Red
Variety: Zinfandel blend
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $11.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

I haven’t done a roundup article in a while, so I thought it was time to give you a quick summary of the recent series we did on zinfandel.

For those who are new to zinfandel, think bold, spicy and fruity wines.  These aren’t subtle wines — although some are more elegant than others.  And by elegant I mean some are less “in your face” with the spice and big fruit, making an approachable wine that will pair well with a broader range of foods.  The bigger, bolder zinfandels are your barbecue wines.  They pair well with strong flavored foods, like grilled burgers.

No matter what style of zin you like, there are plenty of tasty options under $20.  Here are some of our favorites.

Top Picks – Brazin Old Vine Zin & 7 Deadly Zins

There’s nothing subtle about Brazin Old Vine Zin.  It has intense aromas, teaming with smoky fruit fragrances.  The palate is equally intense, with big plum and black cherry fruit flavors, plus a bit of nutmeg-like spice.  At $15, this is a great deal!

Right up there with Brazin is 7 Deadly Zins as another top pick.  This wine features darker fruit, compared to the Brazin, and dark chocolate nuances to boot.  It’s also a spicy zin, with a nice pepper note on the finish.

Best Value – Twisted Old Vine Zinfandel

While it’s a bit lighter than the others, Twisted Old Vine Zinfandel still offers plenty of ripe fruit flavors, good acidity and a touch of white pepper-like spice.  And at under $7.00, it’s a steal!

Here’s the full lineup of our zinfandel recommendations:

When you’re perusing the Italian shelf in your local wine shop, chances are good that you’ll come across a primitivo.  And you may wonder what that wine tastes like.  Well, if you’re a zinfandel fan you may want to check it out because primitivo is basically the Italian name for zinfandel.

The genetic makeup of primitivo is identical to zinfandel, but the wine produced from it is typically stylistically different from American zinfandel.  I usually expect a primitivo to be more earthy and less fruit-forward than their Californian counterparts.  But with this one from Vivi, it’s a bit more “new world” in style.  In fact, maybe more new world than some California zinfandel I’ve tasted recently.

This particular wine was aged in stainless steel, which gives it a fresh and fruity style versus a more structured style found in many oaked zinfandels.

The nose on this wine is really floral, which makes it interesting.  It also shows aromas of blackberry, plum and cola.  On the palate, it’s a true sweet and sour experience, with ripe berry flavors up front followed by tart cherries.  It makes for a really lively palate.  The acidity is superb but the tannins are subtle.  It’s clear that this wine was aged in stainless versus oak by the agressiveness on the palate.  It’s a bit angular.  It finishes with spicy, tart fruit.

It’s a good wine and definitely worth checking out for something different if you’re a zinfandel fan.

Wine: Vivi Primitivo
Variety: Primitivo
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 85
Price:  $9.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Today we have a double-header!  Two different zinfandels from Cline Cellars.

Cline Cellars is actually pretty well known for their zinfandel.  It’s their specialty, along with Rhone varietals, and they produce seven different zinfandels, that I know of, maybe more. These two are the “under $20″ offerings from Cline, while the others they produce a slightly more expensive.  But even with these entry-level wines, you’ll get some tasty juice.

Both of these zins have “California” listed as the appellation, meaning that the grapes come from multiple regions within the state, not just one AVA.

Cline Zinfandel

The base-level zinfandel from Cline Cellars is just labeled as “Zinfandel” with no other descriptors.  The grapes in this wine come from Lodi (46%), Contra Costa County AVA in Oakley (43%) and the rest comes from Sonoma and other regions.  The wine was aged for eight months in 30% medium-toast new French oak.

The first thing to stand out on the nose of this wine is the cherry aroma.  It’s an intense and jammy cherry aroma, like that from a cherry cough drop.  The nose also shows some vanilla, spice and cola aromas.  The palate has plenty of spicy cherry and plum flavors.  The tannins are sufficient, as is the acidity.  It finishes relatively long, with a nice, spicy sour cherry flavor.

Wine: Cline  Zinfandel
Variety: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 86
Price:  $11.99

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Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel

One step up in price is the Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel.  A lot of producers have “old vine zinfandel” but Cline is the only one I know of that sells an “ancient vines zinfandel.”  It sounds like a marketing name to me, and it is.  Old vines are known to create fruit with more concentrated flavors than younger vines, and that’s the appeal of old vine zinfandel.  But, it’s not a regulated classification.  Old vines may be 30-40 years old or more, but there’s no official age that denotes a vine as old, much less “ancient.”

UPDATE: According to Cline Cellars, the vines used for their Ancient Vines Zinfandel are 80+ years old.

The fruit in this wine come primarily from Lodi (63% of the blend), with the balance coming from Mendocino, Sonoma and Lake County, California.  This wine was aged for seven months in 30% new American oak, with the balance in neutral oak.

There’s a lot going on in the nose of this wine.  Cherry aromas, plum, coffee, vanilla and a wisp of smoke all swirl about.  The palate is spicy, with blackberry and cherry flavors up front, a little bit of cocoa on the mid-palate and a spicy cherry finish.  The acidity is perfect and soft tannins give the wine a nice mouth feel.  This one is a little less jammy and more approachable than the other Cline zinfandel, but they’re both enjoyable wines.

Wine: Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel
Variety: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 15%
Rating: 87
Price:  $15.99

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Disclosure: These wines were received as a sample.

A question I get asked every now and then is, “Is any of the wine in those big bottles any good?”

The short answer is, “yes, some it it is good.”  But not all of it.  Some folks refer to bottles that are 1.5 liter and larger as “large format” bottles.  And in some cases, very good high-end wine goes into large format bottles.  But most of the 1.5 liter bottles you see on store shelves are going to be the cheap stuff.  And, yes, even some of that is decent.

So, that brings me to Glen Ellen Proprietor’s Reserve Zinfandel.  And I find myself wondering, is the wine in this 1.5 liter of cheap zinfandel any good.  By cheap, I mean $9.99 for 1.5 liters — which is the equivalent of two standard size wine bottles.

Glen Ellen is a bargain-priced label produced by Concannon Vineyards.  Since Concannon is known to produce some good wine, that’s a good sign.  It’s an “old vine” zinfandel, which is another good sign.  But it is Concannon’s entry-level label, so it’s made with the less desirable fruit — the better fruit going to their premium labels.  As always, there’s only one way to find out if it’s any good, taste it.

But before we get to tasting it, a comment about opening it.  This wine is sealed with a synthetic cork.  I despise synthetic corks.  It’s just a personal preference thing, though.  I don’t have any research to show that synthetic corks are any worse than other closures (although I’m sure someone has researched it).  I just don’t like them.  If you’re not going to give me real cork, I’d rather have a screw cap.  I know some consumers poke fun at the screw cap, but to me they’re better than a plastic synthetic cork.

Now that I have that out of the way, on with the tasting.

The nose is a little soft, but not completely tight.  It has aromas of plum, cola and spice.  And even though it’s only 13.5% alcohol (relatively low for a zinfandel), the alcohol fumes are still rather potent.  The palate has plum and blackberry flavors and decent acidity, although it’s a bit angular in the mouth and a little thin.  It finishes with a bit of spice and slightly tart fruit.

So, what does all that mean?  Is this wine any good.  It’s not an extraordinary wine, but it’s drinkable.  And it certainly is a bargain.  It doesn’t have the depth, structure and concentration to get me excited about it.  But I’m sure many consumers would be perfectly satisfied with it.  If you do pick up this wine, I’d suggest giving it a slight chill before consuming.  Not a full refrigeration, but maybe put it in the fridge for 20-25 minutes to bring the temp down slightly.  That will make this wine a touch more enjoyable.

Wine: Glen Ellen Proprietor’s Reserve
Variety: Old Vine Zinfandel
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 80
Price:  $9.99 for 1.5 liters

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

We’ve been talking about zinfandel for the past few weeks, and while many of those we’ve reviewed have been from Lodi, California, now we’re getting into some from other regions.  And one of the great appellations for zinfandel is Paso Robles, the origin of this wine from Villa San-Juliette.

When we’re writing about wines, sometimes it’s hard to find a story to tell.  Some wines really don’t have much of a story other than the fact that they’re a product from some big company.  That’s not the case with this wine.

Villa San-Juliette is owned by Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, two life-long friends from Liverpool.  But they’re better known as the executive producers of the TV shows American Idol, America’s Got Talent, So You Think You Can Dance and other shows.  And while they have been very successful in television, they didn’t have any experience in winemaking before purchasing Villa San-Juliette.

Needless to say, they were in over their heads and problems arose as they launched their new venture.  Potential investors backed out, wild boars damaged their vineyard, a customer cancelled a contract to buy their fruit, vines became rot infested and more.  But turning catastrophe into gold, Lythgoe and Warwick captured their adventures of learning how to run a vineyard in a reality television series called Corkscrewed: The Wrath of Grapes.

If you’ve ever thought that it would be fun to own a vineyard, you should watch this series to see the chaos that comes with that job.

But since those initial struggles, things have turned around and are looking good.  What changed?  They hired people who know how to run a vineyard.  In 2007, Tony Domingos was brought in as a consultant to help transform the vineyard.  And in 2008, Adam LaZarre came on board as winemaker for Villa San-Juliette.  LaZarre had spent the previous 8 1/2 years as the winemaker for Hahn Estates Winery.

While there are lots of fun stories behind this wine, it still comes down to what’s in the glass that really matters.  And when it comes to this zinfandel, I’d say it rocks!

This wine has moderate intensity on the nose with aromas of raspberry, cigar tobacco, blackberry and black pepper.  It’s a bit smoky too.  For having 16% alcohol, it’s surprising that the fumes aren’t too intense.  The palate has a nice acidity to it and flavors of plum and blackberry with a good bit of spice.  This is a lively wine and has a nice mouth feel as well.  If finishes spicy, with raspberry and black pepper flavors.  The acidity in this wine gives makes it stand out from many other zinfandels, and it will go well with rich, fatty foods like pizza.

Wine: Villa San-Juliette
Variety: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 16%
Rating: 88
Price:  $17.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

While many of the zinfandels we’ve been reviewing lately come from Lodi, California, that’s not the only place that’s producing great zin.  This one from X Winery comes from the Nova Vineyard in Lake County, California.  This is located just outside Kelseyville, California — which is a good bit north of Napa and Sonoma, and even further northwest of Lodi.

The zinfandel on this vineyard is organically grown and is California Certified Organically Farmed (CCOF).  If you’re looking for wine produced with organically farmed grapes, this is an outstanding one to try.  And to give it another notch in the environmentally friendly belt, the corks are certified as sustainable corks by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Rainforest Alliance.

We’ve reviewed a number of X Winery wines in the past and we’ve been consistently impressed with the quality of their products, and this is no exception.

The nose on this zinfandel isn’t too aggressive, but is quite interesting and enjoyable.  The base layer of aroma is a plum and cherry fruit, with a splash of cola.  Layered on top of that are spice and herb aromas, like allspice, vanilla, cedar and sage.  The palate has plenty of ripe fruit flavors, with blackberry and cherry being the most pronounced.  It’s not a super spicy zinfandel, but there is some spice — particularly on the finish.  The acidity is great and the mouthfeel is nice.  Overall, this is a nice, elegant and approachable zinfandel.

Wine: X Winery Lake County Nova Vineyard Zinfandel
Variety: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 88
Price:  $19.99

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

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

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Tonight, we’re shaking things up.  OK, not really.  That was going to be a play on the Earthquake name of this wine, but truthfully, we’re not shaking things up.  In fact, we’re continuing the theme of the past few reviews, zinfandel!

You know, seeing zinfandel! with an exclamation point after it looks good.  It looks appropriate for this style of wine.  Perhaps I should start a movement to always include an exclamation point after zinfandel!  Who’s on board?

This particular zinfandel is actually a big brother to the 7 Deadly Zins we reviewed yesterday.  It’s another wine from Michael David Winery.  It’s another Lodi zinfandel.  And just like 7 Deadly Zins, it’s blended with a bit of petite sirah and petite verdot.  (And, yes I know I moved on from the whole exclamation point thing.  It got old fast.)

As a “big brother,” or “big sister” if you prefer, it’s slightly more expensive than 7 Deadly Zins with a suggested retail price of $26.00 — of course, if you shop around you may find it for less.

This is a really interesting zinfandel.  It’s uber-dark-chocolaty on the nose, where there are also aromas of black pepper, black cherry, raisin and leather.  In the mouth, it has a lusciously smooth feel with flavors of spicy black cherry, plum and dark chocolate.  Despite having a whopping 16% alcohol, it’s still well balanced and the alcohol doesn’t come across as too dominant.  It finishes long, with spicy berry flavors and more dark chocolate.  This is a fun zinfandel.

While it’s quite different from 7 Deadly Zins, qualitatively I found them to be equals and I gave them both 89 points.  The 7 Deadly Zins was more aggressive, spicy and fruit-forward, while the Earthquake is more elegant and chocolaty.  The question is, which style are you in the mood for?  Or, with a $10 price difference, how much do you want to spend?

Wine: Earthquake
Variety: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 16%
Rating: 89
Price:  $26.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Continuing with the current theme of zinfandel, tonight we’re reviewing a cult classic of sorts in the zin drinking world.  7 Deadly Zins is a trusted favorite of many zin fanatics.  It has a fun and memorable name.  It’s got some tasty juice in it.  And it’s affordable.  What more could you want from a zinfandel?

7 Deadly Zins is produced by Michael David Winery, one of the producers that’s on my “yes, please” list.  I can’t recall ever tasting a wine of theirs that I didn’t like—but more importantly, I can remember tasting several of their wines over the years that have made me say, “Wow, that’s good! What is it?”  Unfortunately, some of those wines have been in a price range that’s above what we typically consider a bargain.  But they do have some, like 7 Deadly Zins, that are priced just right.

This is a Lodi zinfandel, meaning it’s from the Lodi region in California.  If you’re a zin junkie, you probably already know about Lodi.  If you’re just getting into zinfandel, make a note of it and try several from this region.

7 Deadly Zins is made with grapes from seven of the best growers in the Lodi region.  That’s where the name comes from… well, the fact that the grapes came from seven growers and the fact that it’s a fun and memorable pun.  The zinfandel is blended with a little bit of petite sirah and petite verdot.

The color of this wine is a dark, dark purplish-red.  The nose has outstanding intensity and complexity, with an aroma that’s like blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream.  It also has a cola-like note in the bouquet.  The palate is brimming with spiced blackberry and cherry flavors.  Dark chocolate flavors come in on the mid-palate and stay through the finish, which also reveals a spicy pepper note.  The acidity is great, the mouth feel is nice and the finish is long.  This is a really nice zinfandel.

Wine: 7 Deadly Zins
Variety: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 15%
Rating: 89
Price:  $16.00

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Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.