The tasting was held 03/22/2006 at the home of FreeTheGrapes. Last year, we explored the regions of France on a (more or less) monthly basis. This year, the monthly tastings are to explore a given varietal from around the world. All wines are tasted double blind, in flights of three. I decided not to play "guess the varietal, winery, vineyard, etc." this time with two exceptions that I nailed, the '02 Turley Hayne PS and the '01 Switchback Ridge PS.

Flight One:

• 2002 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Home Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about three hours. Floral, raspberry and blueberry notes scream from the glass. On the palate, blackberry and black cherry dominate, with a long, sweet, tannic finish. Still a lot of life left in this one. (91 pts.)

• 2002 Truchard Zinfandel - USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about three hours. An interesting nose of raspberry, pepper and some sweet barbecue sauce. On the palate, elegant blackberry, raspberry and some creamy oak, along with a distinct juniper note leading to a short-medium finish. The shortness of the finish forced me to mark this down, but still an enjoyable wine. (87 pts.)

• 2002 Turley Petite Sirah Hayne Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about three hours. Graphite, leather and tobacco join black fruits on the nose. On the palate, tight, with rustic dark fruits and boatloads of tannin on the surprisingly short finish. A little bit of leather on the palate too. Interesting to taste this controversial wine. Where will it go in the future? (89 pts.)

Flight Two:

• 2003 Copain Zinfandel Arrowhead Mountain - USA, California, Sonoma County (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about 3.75 hours. A full nose of raw meat, alcohol, blackberry, raspberry and black pepper. On the palate, more of the same along with a tart element, finishing extra long with a predominant black pepper note. Very good, and way too young, this needs some time to come together (I hope it does). (87 pts.)

• 2002 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Cortina - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about 3.75 hours. An aromatic nose of cherries and blackberries, marred somewhat by traces of heat. On the palate, black cherries and blackberries, leading to a very long finish with sweet tannins mixing with some spicy oak. Interestingly, the alcohol did not seem noticeable on the palate. Very good. (88 pts.)

• 2003 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Annette's Reserve - USA, California (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about 3.75 hours. On the nose, plenty of black licorice and clove, with the alcohol almost burning the nostrils. On the palate, somewhat tight and inky, with licorice, creosote and some vanilla creaminess, moving towards chocolate on the medium finish. The alcohol, while noticeable, was not overbearing. (89 pts.)

Flight Three:

• 2002 Neal Family Zinfandel - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about 4.5 hours. On the nose, raspberries, leather and raw meat. On the palate, rather subdued notes of raspberry, cherry, a little bit of blackberry peeking through, well balanced with a medium length, pepper and bitters finish. (89 pts.)

• 2002 Pride Mountain Petite Sirah - USA, California, Napa Valley (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about 4.5 hours. On the nose, licorice, tar and black pepper. Did I mention the overwhelming black pepper? It almost made me want to sneeze. On the palate, heavy black licorice and tar, with a port-like consistency, and a dash of chocolate on the long finish before being blasted with the pepper and tannins. While an outstanding wine, this is not my favorite style. Too much like work getting through more than a few sips of this. (90 pts.)

• 2002 Turley Zinfandel Juvenile - USA, California (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about 4.5 hours. Vanilla oak and mixed red fruits on the nose. The palate is bursting with red cherries and raspberry, very jammy, with noticeable alcohol on the medium body. The finish brings in some spiciness from the oak and some noticeable, though not unpleasant, alcoholic warmth. (89 pts.)

Flight Four:

• 2001 Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah Peterson Family Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about 5 hours. Reticent nose of pepper, blackberries, graphite, maybe some blueberry lurking. On the palate, a dense monster. Tar, tar and more tar, mixing with some blackberries and a slight bitterness just before the extremely long, spicy finish. Absolutely huge body and concentration, leave it alone for five years or more. Petite Sirah of the night, no matter how young it is. (94 pts.)

• 2003 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Rockpile (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about five hours. Nose of bright red fruits, pepper, some alcohol. On the palate, bright red fruits mingle with some blackberry, licorice and alcohol on a medium frame. Just when I was getting ready to really like this, this finishes with some overt sweetness (RS?), black pepper, and more noticeable alcohol. Really torn on the rating for this one. Until it got close to the finish, I could have easily rated this outstanding. The finish would knock it way down for me as a stylistic preference. The rating tries to reflect an objective mix of the two, even though I will not be searching this one out. (89 pts.)

• 2003 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines - USA, California (3/22/2006)
  Decanted about five hours. Raspberry, licorice and pepper on the nose. On the palate, medium bodied and jammy, with a beautiful blend of raspberry, blackberry, cherry and black cherry. Harmonious, with no trace of heat. Very well put together, finishing long with some black pepper and mixed spices on the finish. Damned tasty, my zin of the night. (94 pts.)

Mike

Nice notes Mike, thanks! I too hope the Copain comes together (I suspect it will).