Taste: Gobs of boysenberry and blackberry flavors greet you up front. Chocolate-covered raisins, dusty mocha, and bittersweet chocolate envelop your mid-palate, with a hint of licorice. Kitchen spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, and burnt caramel round out the finish. This is an elegant monster of a Zin, with well-integrated tannins and a finish that lingers forever. Get out your BBQ— it's time to start grilling! (Yeah, I know it's cold out, but you got your grill to keep you warm.)
Cameron Confidential: This is truly a m'lange of wines from rock-solid producers in both Amador County and Lodi. The Zins are all 50+ year-old vines but quite different in character. The Lodi Zin is ripe and jammy with no hard tannins (fairly fertile soil). The Amador component, coming from the sparse red soils of the Shenandoah Valley, is more restrained with higher acids, subtle fruit, and firmer tannins. Rounding out the blend are 16% dark, rich, tannic, full-throttle Petite Sirah and 8% Amador County Merlot. All wines were barrel-aged in mostly used cooperage for about 18 months. This is $20 to $25 juice.
Lot 21
2004 Amador Lodi Zinfandel
- Vintage: 2004
- Appellation: Amador County, Lodi
- Grape: 76% Zinfandel, 16% Petite Sirah, 8% Merlot
- Alcohol by volume: 14.5%
- Production: 2,800 cases
