The Climber 2010

As it becomes more and more difficult to find new Zin that I haven't tried yet, I am looking now into blends which contain zinfandel grappe. This one, The Climber, a blend of 5 different grappes including 50% of zin, was very nice for $12.99 at Berkeley Bowl. Not as heavy as an 100% zin, it is appropriate for pairing with many type of food from BBQ meat to cheese. While blends are most common in France, they are still rare in California but it seems the way to go, offering winemakers a wider range of options to craft complex and delicate wines (instead of using chemicals!). I will definitely explore more of these blends in the future.

Costco Zin Grandmere 2009

While I had a bad experience with wine bought at Costco (see previous post), I have to say that they are selling some very good wines at very good prices.
They are even selling wine under their own label "Kirkland" which was worth a try. Here I tried the old vine Zinfandel from Amador county named 'Grandmere'. The price was somewhere between $10 and $15 which in fact was a deal for the quality of this wine. It was a pleasant surprise and I will definitely get more of it next time I visit this store. More description on their blog.

the bad Ridge

May be I haven't been lucky on the bottle of this 2009 zin from Sable Ridge vineyards but I couldn't finish my glass :-( Good thing I bought it at Costco $13, almost half the price offered at the winery! It was fizzy on the tongue with unpleasant taste. I will not take the risk to try it again to confirm it was bad luck unless someone can share a good experience with it!

the good Ridge

This 2007 zinfandel was nice. not sure where it was purchased or how much it cost. I cannot even find a lot of info online about it...

Kenwood 2009 Zin

Well this bottle was priced $29.99 at BevMo but with the 2nd bottle offered at 5 cents I gave it a try. I have been more attracted by the word "reserve" on the label than the brand which is likely more of a wine factory than a winery considering the volume produced: hundreds of thousands of cases every year come out of Kenwood Vineyards. For $30 a bottle this wine is definitely not a deal; at $15 it is correct even if it doesn't have any character for a zinfandel but it is pleasant to drink and doesn't leave a bad taste or headache afterwards. Unlike many Zins it would pair well with food (red meats in sauce) and the quality is probably consistent across the thousand of cases produced. Not my favorite but likely to please most.

Leonhardt zin 2007

Found at Trader's Joe for $12 something. Good enough, not too strong, easy to drink. It appears to be much more expensive at the winery! I will try it again for sure.

Good one to start 2012

Wow this was a treat brought by a friend who joined us for the first dinner of 2012. It is a blend from the Wind Gar winery which I never heard about before but absolutely delicious! Likely better than any other wines I had in 2011. It's a bit expensive though but for a special event it is worth the price ($50). We drank it with a rabbit in mustard sauce. Pretty light compared to the Zins I have been drinking lately, but so rich, complex and pleasant in mouth. Excellent memory.

Leese-Fitch 2008 Zin

Tried this one at a restaurant but it is available for less than $15 in stores. Very nice one for its price. Good description and online purchase available here.