Zinfandel

This is 93% Zinfandel and 7% Syrah from Sonoma County.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight plums, an interesting note of menthol, and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Good acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is juicy and delicious.  Black cherries with spice and slight char.  Long finish.  This is young but drinking well.  It is nice on its own and will work well with grilled meats and veggies.  Drink over the next seven to ten years. 

One of the few wines I buy b y the case.  Great wine, great value.  It is a blend of 76% Zinfandel, 11% Carignan, 5% Petite Sirah, 4% Grenache, 3% Cinsault, and 1% Assorted Mixed Varieties.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The  nose has black cherries, some black raspberries, spices and some "bramble".  Medium to full bodied.  Lively acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious and easy drinking.  Some depth.  Black cherries, some black raspberries and some char.  Good finish.  This is great on its own and will work well with everything from meat loaf to pizza to Pork Chops.  Drin

The Paraduxx portfolio has been solely focused on blended wines, something they do admirably. The 2019 is comprised mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon with lighter amounts of five other grape including Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. The medley offers dusty black, cherry, blueberry, blackberry, red raspberry light cedar, and sandalwood notes with a very light green tea element and vanilla. The tannins are fairly taught, even after four years, supporting the structure of the wine, and the acidity comes into play making this an ideal companion for food.

This is made from various sites around California.  It is my favorite of the 1000 Stories BBA wines.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has smoke, black cherries, and slight bramble.  Medium to full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, black cherries, some root beer notes and plenty of char.  Good finish with black cherries and slight, slight black licorice.  This is nice on its own and would work well with grilled foods such as a Pork Chop.  Drink over the next year or two.

A lovely, old school Zinfandel.  Whether one thinks this is young or ready or old is a matter of preference.  For my tastes, this is drinking youthfully but ready.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has bramble, raspberries, slight black cherries and spice.  Light but present tannins.  On the palate, bramble and black cherries with spice and slight char.  Drinks well.  Not over the top.  Very nice on its own but better with food.  A great wine with pizza.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

Though Zinfandel is California’s signature grape, much of what is made is simplistic, jammy and average. Good thing the folks at Quivera have always taken Zin seriously. Comprised of all Zin with 15% Petite Sirah, the Black Boar offers complex flavors of black cherry, blackberry, plum, bay leaf, current marmalade, with light green tea notes, rhubarb, smoked vanilla and subtle charred campfire. The overtness of the fruit is kept in check with moderate tannins and a smart oak program, which included French, American and Hungarian oak, for a total of just 18 months in barrel.

Another winner from Carlisle.  I am sure these will age nicely, but I just can't keep my hands off of them young.  Ruby/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, spice, blueberries, and cedar.  Full bodied.  Lovely, almost lush texture.  Good acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, black raspberries, with slight char underneath.  Long finish.  Just delicious.  This is great on its own and will drink well for another ten years.  It also will work well for spicy and bigger foods.  Besides pizza, this would be great with ribs off the gr

The winemaker's notes indicate that "the finished blend is 85% Zinfandel with 7% Carignan, 4% Cinsault and bits and bobs of Grand Noir, Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet and other field-blended varieties." Overall, this is pretty consistent with prior years.  Purple/garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, raspberries, char and slight bramble.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is middle ground between claret and bombastic styled Zin.  Plenty of black cherry fruit with good balance, slight tannins and some char.  Nice finish.  This is a great c

This is made in Solon, Ohio with purchased grapes from California.  It is a lighter styled, "Claret" Zinfandel.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has raspberries, cranberries and slight bramble.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is solid.  Raspberries and bramble.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This drinks easy on its own but is probably better with food.  It went well with just sitting around having mixed nuts and cheeses.  Drink over the next few years.  

Paraduxx was started in 1994 with the sole purpose of offerings blended wines to the public. Whereas many wineries espouse 100% varietal, the blend is, and always has been, the ability to craft a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. Though this is 60% Cabernet, there are six other grapes playing a part, including Zinfandel, Grenache and Malbec. This is a soft wine that offers noticeable fruit: black cherry, huckleberry, blueberry and blackberry along with light vanilla, green tea and baked apricot. The tannins help to solidify the structure, being potent but not aggressive.