I must admit, when I first started drinking wine, red wine really wasn’t my thing. It took me a trip to Sonoma and my very first taste of Zinfandel however, to completely change my mind and fall head over heels in love with this grape. Not long after Zinfandel, I discovered Petite Sirah, Merlot, Grenache, and all my other red wine loves. And now, I think we drink slightly more red wine than white wine.
However, I have never outgrown my first love, Zinfandel, and I almost instinctively reach for a bottle when I am in the mood for a big red wine. Tonight being no exception, I chose the 2005 Camellia Cellars Leconi Vineyards Zinfandel. It clocked in at 14.8% alcohol by volume, had a real cork closure, and cost me around $25.
See my pretty Christmas Cactus? It
On the nose I found blackberries, black currants, black cherry, spice, vanilla, and slight chocolate. In the mouth I got flavors of fresh black cherries, dark fruit, blackberries, black currants, some red fruit on the mid palate, raspberries, and plums. This Zin showed all fruit on the palate, which tasted great to me. The fruit seemed fresh, not jammy at all. I thought the wine seemed well structured, with some tannins on the back of the palate, but quite ready to drink right now.
tannins on the end, but perfect to drink now.
Filed under: California, Camellia Cellars, Red, Wine, Zinfandel |
Wannabe Wino Wine Blog 
For several vintages now, the Camellia Cellars Lencioni has been one of my “Go To” Zins. I always enjoy the complexity just as you describe it! I prefer the elegance of Bruce Snyder’s winemaking especially when big jammy high-alcohol monsters (actually, one of my guilty pleasures) would eclipse the flavors of a good meal. I, too, am a Zin junkie. Thanks for the Zinaffirmation!
🙂 Zin is my first love! In red wine that is….