I'm one guy who loves grocery shopping with my wife. Denise calls out the specific need of the moment, I quickly proceed to the proper aisle and pick it up, returning to her and the basket in what I'm sure is a blinding flash of light. There, I find her still weighing the advantages of the various bread products, spices or pasta. When we get to the produce department - where she judges me underskilled - she cuts me loose and tells me she'll find me in the wine department when she's done. Oh, joy! Time to shop for something really interesting.Denise always goes grocery shopping fully armed with a fistful of manufacturer coupons. Once, she gave me one of those precious slips of paper. It was for two dollars off a Ravenswood product.
After apologizing profusely to the old lady I nearly knocked down as I spun on my heels and left the produce area, I went to see which of the Ravenswood wines would come home with us.
One of the things I really like about Ravenswood - and there is a lot to like - is that they make so many different wines, it seems there is always something new on the shelf from them. My choice was the Lodi Old Vine Zin, 2006, which listed at $14. I got it on sale and with the coupon the price came down to $8.
The wine is very dark both in color and taste. That's to be expected with a healthy part of the makeup consisting of Petite Sirah. There's a little bit of Carignane thrown in, too, which makes me wonder if this is a field blend. I've seen some references to the grapes of lesser percentage being "blended in." That would indicate a "no" to the field blend question, but that would be somewhat unusual for old California vines.
The nose bears raspberries and plums, and the richness of the bouquet indicates the year and a half this wine spent in French oak. Dark fruit takes center stage on the palate, with a certain spicy note waiting in the wings. The palate is jammy with blackberries and plums, big, dark plums the way they taste when you get a little of the skin with the fruit.
At 14.5% abv, the wine does have a bit of kick to it, and the tannins are quite healthy, too. It settles down nicely after a bit of time, though. In a rare state of being out nearly every night of a recent workweek, this bottle was opened on a Monday and finished on a Saturday. A full five days stoppered really allowed it to calm down to a point of being soft and intense. The mouthfeel is quite full-bodied, there's nice acidity and a good show of tannins. I detected a bit of anise and some cocoa notes in the finish.
Ravenswood Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2006
Varietal: 78% Zinfandel, 21% Petite Sirah, 1% Carignane
Appellation: California > Lodi
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol Level: 14.5%
Price: $14 (after sale price and coupon, $8)
Acquisition disclaimer: Bought it myself
