by Tom Hill

A self-admitted wine geek, Tom lives in Northern New Mexico and works as a computational physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory doing numerical neutron transport & large scale code development. He has been tasting wines since 1971, participates locally with a couple of large tasting groups in his area, and is practically a fixture at most California wine festivals, such as the Hospice du Rhône, Rhône Rangers, and ZAP. Other interests: Tom is heavily into competitive sport fencing (foil & epee), biking, cooking, basketball, skiing, backpacking, mountain climbing.

 
1. Ernest&Julio Gallo Cafe Zinfandel (8%) NV: Very pale red color, near WhiteZin in color; weak/simple/ grapey/no Zinfandel nose; sweet/sour simple grapey/fruity flavor; mercifully short sweet/sour grapey finish w/ no tannins; absolutelt abominable stuff w/ no Zinfandel character at all.
2. Cantele Primitivo Salento IGT (13%) '96: Med.dark color; earthy low fruit some brett/horse- collar nose; sour astringent metallic some bretty/horsecollar/earthy no fruit flavor; tannic earthy sour rather unclean/bretty/horsecollar no fruit finish; too unclean & no fruit.
3. A*Mano Primitivo Puglia IGT (13.5%) '98: Med.dark color; overripe Italian/hot-climate bit barnyardy/goat pen/horsey unclean slight grapey/fruity nose; soft unclean/goat pen overripe/ hot-climate sour horsey flavor; med.short hot-climate/overripe horsey/goat-pen finish w/ little tannins; much like Algerian plonk; bad stuff.
4. Pervini Primitivo di Manduria Archidamo (14%) '97: Med.dark color; bit oaked rather dusty/low fruit bit brett/horsecollar somewhat cleaner nose; soft bit oaked earthy/dusty slight oaked/ brett low fruit flavor; med. low fruit rather earthy/dusty light oaked finish w/ light tannins; little if any Zinfandel character; dull & plodding.
5. Rosenblum Cellars Contra Costa Cnty Zinfandel (13.4%) '93: Med.dark color; bit earthy/dusty some plummy/ black cherry light oaked nose; soft/smooth plummy/black cherry light/low-key flavor; soft/fat short plummy/black cherry/dusty light blackberry finish w/ little tannins; very nice drinking smooth low-key Zinfandel w/ good ContraCosta character.
6. Rosenblum Cellars Napa Valley Zinfandel (13.6%) '93: Med.dark color; fragrant/spicy light raspberry bit dusty light pencilly/oaked nose; tart spicy light raspberry/dusty light pencilly/oaked flavor; med.long tart spicy/raspberry light pencilly/oaked dusty bit menthol finish w/ some tannins; rather low-key mature Zinfandel; probably as good as it'll ever be.
7. Rosenblum Cellars San Francisco Bay Zinfandel Contra Costa Cnty (13.5%); V&B by.... ;98: Med.color; rather earthy/dusty bit simple/plummy/cherry some LoodiZin nose; tart spicy light cherry/plummy bit dusty/earthy LodiZin light buttery/oak flavor; med.long bright cherry/plummy some dusty/ earthy/LodiZin light buttery finish w/ light tannins; seems to have some Lodi Zinfandel in the blend; pleasant Zinfandel one step above the Cuvee MM at a good price.
8. Rosenblum Cellars San Francisco Bay Zinfandel (103 yr old Carla's Vnyd; 13.6%) contraCostaCnty '98: Med.dark color; deep CC/plummy dusty/old vines chocolaty some oaked rather perfumed/aromatic nose; soft very lush/plummy/black cherry/CC dusyu/oaked very perfumed flavor; very long very lush plummy/black cherry cola/CCZin light oaked dusty/old vines violets finish w/ some tannins; very ripe lush & drinkable CC Zinfandel.
9. Sobon Estate Fiddletown Zinfandel (14.9%; U/U; 990 cs) LubenkoVnyd '97: Med.light color; attractive spicy bit earthy light raspberry/black cherry light oaked nose; soft light blackberry/black cherry/raspberry light dusty bit lean flavor; med.long bright raspberry/blackberry/black cherry spicy/dusty finish w/ light tannins; not a lot of Fiddletown character but a nice pretty drinkable Zinfandel. Good value at $12.00
10. Flint Cienega Vlly Zinfandel Old Vines (13.5%) '97: Very dark color; rather reduced/H2S/pungent/ fecal/diaper pail light plummy nose; clears to a blackberry/jammy still bit stinky nose; tart almost shrill ripe/blackberry/jammy spicy tannic flavor; med.long bit funky/stinky tart jammy/blackberry finish w/ some tannins; a wine that needs to breathe; a bit strange w/ good SBZin/jamminess but seems acidified or underripe on the palate.
11. Marr Sonoma Cnty Old Vine Zinfandel (14.2%; U/U; small amounts of Carignane&PS) '97: Dark color; deep blackberry/boysenberry/licorice pungent/dusty charred oak complex/smokey nose; soft smooth blackberry/boysenberry/chocolaty rather charred/toasty/oak slight menthol flavor; med.long charred/toasty/oak/pungent blackberry/boysenberry/chocolaty finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; lots of charred oak & ripe character; very good Zinfandel.
12. Dry Creek Vnyds Dry Creek Vlly Reserve Zinfandel (14.0%) '97: Dark color; very unusual walnutty very spicy/blackberry/raspberry some oaked peppery/complex nose; soft smooth milky/Am.oaked buttery very spicy raspberry/blackberry/peppery flavor; very log spicy/fragrant raspberry/blackberry/ peppery some buttery/oaked finish w/ some tannins; needs yr or two; an absolutely lovely spicy Zinfandel more like RRV than DCV.
13. Blockheadia Ringnosii Russian River Vlly Zinfandel (14.5%) '98: Med.dark color; attractive dusty very spicy/fragrant blackberry some perfumey nose; tart dusty/old vines spicy light blackberry/ black cherry slightly hot flavor; med.long very spicy/blackberry dusty/old vines finish w/ light tannins; a very attractive elegant very spicy RRV Zinfandel.
14. Blockheadia Ringnosii Napa Valley Zinfandel (14.5%) '98: Very dark/black color; deep/intense black- berry/boysenberry very plummy/black cherry bit alcoholic/oaked/buttered popcorn nose; soft rich plummy/blackberry/boysenberry/very ripe light buttery/oaked bit alcoholic flavor; very long soft very ripe/plummy/blackberry/boysenberry light oaked finish w/ light tannins; needs a yr or two; big ripe lush Zinfandel but a bit lacking in structure or grip.
15. Tulocay Napa Valley Zinfandel Casanova Vnyd (15.8%) '95: Very dark color; intense blackberry/boysen- berry/licorice/chocolaty very ripe but not raisened/pruney bit funky/volatile over-the-top Zinfandel nose; soft very ripe blackberry/boysenberry/chocolaty almost Aussie-like Shiraz bit hot/alcoholic flavor; very long soft very ripe/blackberry/boysenberry/licorice/chocolaty bit hot/alcoholic finish w/ some tannins; very much an over-the-top Zinfandel but yet not at all overripe/raisened/pruney; very much a Turley-look-alike Zinfandel.
16. Plum Creek Resdstone Reserve Merlot Colorado Grown Tenth Anniversary '94: Near black color; very intense boysenberry/blackberry/Zinfandel-like/chocolaty very spicy some oaked nose; soft rich blackberry/black cherry/boysenberry/chocolaty light toasty/oaked flavor; long soft lush ripe chocolaty/blackberry/black cherry light toasty/oaked light earthy/dusty finish w/ some tannins; can use a few yrs; I was very surprised when this was unbagged to find it was a Colorado wine and a Merlot; first rate interesting Merlot. $16.00-Steve Sterbenz mystery wine.
17. Ch.Grand Puy Lacoste Pauliiac '95: Very dark/near-black color; very strong mocha/chocolaty/ espresso/coffee bean/roasted/charred some herbal/earthy/Bordeaux nose; soft pungent/charred/ very ripe roasted very oaked rather herbal/Bordeaux/earthy flavor; very long mocha/charred/ roasted toasty/oaked rather herbal/dusty/earthy finish w/ fair tannins; big huge intense Bordeaux w/ lots of toasty/oak; Larry Archibald's mystery wine; mispriced at $30.00

And a few stickies w/ the dessert:

1. Louis Guntrum Spatlese Yellow Fantasy (9.5%) '96: in a hideous yellow bottle that looked more at home in a drug-testing laboratory; Pale near colorless; rather earthy/musty (not corked) dusty little fruit nose; tart/acid off-dry earthy/dusty/musty low fruit flavor; same dreadful finish; baaaaaad stuff.
2. Kafer Munchen Beerenauslese Bereich Wonnegau (9.0%) '98: Light gold color; some peachy/ botrytis earthy/dusty simple grapey nose; tart slightly sweet rather earthy weak grapey slight peachy/botrytis flavor; med.short earthy/dusty/metallic light grapey slight botrytis/ peachy finish; one of the dullest BA's I've ever had. No bargin at $13.00/hlf
3. Savannah-Chanel Vnyds Santa Cruz Mtns Late Harvest Cabernet Franc (14.5%; RS:9.9%) '97: Very dark color; beautiful intense blackberry/boysenberry/chocolaty very intense/jammy very ripe slight volatile/earthy nose; soft sweet very ripe/blackberry/boysenberry/very jammy dusty/ SCM complex bit hot flavor; very long intense blackberry/boysenberry/chocolaty loads of jammy fruit finish w/ ample tannins; easily a 20 yr CabFranc.

1. Italian Primitivo: Don't get this wine at all; never had one that offered any sort of pleasure to me. Primitivo has been DNA certified as being identical to Zinfandel. None, not one, of the dozen or so I've had have had a shred of Zinfandel aroma or flavor to them. Usually they are rather earthy/dusty (not unlike Lodi Zinfandel at it's mediocre level) and precious little fruit, often unclean/bretty. Even Zinfandel from very hot areas like Lodi or Modesto or Cucamonga have noticible Zinfandel character to them. So, even if the science says they're Zinfandel, my palate says otherwise. I'll pass no matter how low the price.
2. The two Rosenblums are the first ones I've seen bearing the San Francisco Bay appellation. I don't see that it adds any cachet to the label. Despite all the objections from SantaCruz winemakers, it seems pretty innocuous to me. It probably won't convince me I should buy a Wente or K-J wine.
3. Kent Rosenblum's '96 ContraCosta Zins were, across the board, stunning wines; some of the best ContraCosta Zins I've ever had. I thought his '97 CC Zins a weaker effort. Based on this Carla's Vnyd Zinfandel, looks like he may have done very well again in '98. It, like many '98 Zins, seems a bit lacking in structure & tannins, but that's generally true of most CC Zins anyway.
4. I've followed Bill Cadman's Tulocay wines from the very start, a terrific Amador Zinfandel. His Chards, his Pinots, his Cabs have all been first-rate in my book. Alas, I've sort of lost touch w/ his wines over the last 6-7 yrs, so was looking forward to trying this one. Glad to see that Bill hasn't lost his touch w/ making wines. Bill has a day job at Mondavi Wnry (or, at least still did last I knew) and his tiny Tulocay Wnry on Coombs Rd just east of Napa is almost a hobby (what do they call them in France... garagiests??? Winemakers in a garage?). I don't recall ever having a Tulocay wine that I didn't like. Yet this is a wnry that NEVER seem to get much notice and sort of falls thru all the reviewer's cracks. Bill has made some Pinots over the yrs that I thought were some of the best I've had from Calif; big & Burgundian. Worth trying these wines when you stumble upon them.
5. LateHarvest CabFranc: The first one I had was a MikeRobbins/Chuck Ortman SpringMountainVnyd LateHrvst '73. It was sensational in its youth and the last one I had about 4 yrs ago was a beautiful/complex some dried-out red wine. This Savannah-Chanel is the best one I've had since the Spring Mountain, maybe even better. Toby Shumrick (Tobin James) has made some very good LateHrvst CabFrancs down in PasoRobles also. If you want a wine to lay down for 20 yrs, these are the ones.