Welcome to the seventh in our Wine 103 series, where we continue to explore single varietals that you may see in the store or restaurant. If you haven’t been through Wine 101 or Wine 102 yet, have no fear, you can pick up from the links. If you have a moment, go back and check them out! Today we’ll be talking about Zinfandel!
Zinfandel
Back in the late 90’s, Zinfandel was best known for it’s unfortunate pink variant that was given the misfortunate of being called ‘white’ zinfandel. While suburban house wives went crazy over it (I like to think of them as a more Stepford variant of the mom from Beetlejuice), serious wine drinkers prayed it would end before destroying a venerable grape’s reputation.*
Zinfandel is more than it appears, and makes a diverse set of wines, ranging from truly medium bodied, to lush and full. Not only does it make a wide spectrum of body style, it also can be used in everything from rosé to fortified dessert wines. The jammy blackberry, boysenberry, and plum flavors make it particularly desirable, especially when it’s at it best, where it features a soft, lush texture.
* – Ironically, this maybe one of the most successful examples of using a little ingenuity, and some fantastic marketing to solve a problem on the fly. At the time, Zinfandel was in abundance, and they needed to make it sell, and pronto. Thus, pink, fruity, slightly sweet wine with a new, easy to remember name was born.
Quick Facts on Zinfandel
Color: Rosé to Red
Style: Dry to Sweet (Dessert / Rosé)
Body: Mediium to Full
General Characteristics: Blackberry, Plum, Jammy, Boysenberry
Notable Regions: California (Amador & Sonoma County), Italy
Other Names: Primitivo
Poizin Zinfandel 2014
Sure the label implies death, but maybe that’s only because Poizin Zinfandel is so murderously delicious! Right?
Sight: A moderate, shiny, ruby red that glistens toward cranberry.
Smell: Boysenberry, blackberries, and cranberries all come forward, and are wrapped up in a spice mix. Touches of vanilla come in, as does hints of espresso, oak, and dark chocolate. The nose is a touch hot.
Sip: The body is soft, and smooth, like a velvet glove. Amazing given how it pricks with the heat of the high alcohol hidden behind the veneer. Huge flavor of blackberry, cranberry, and vanilla come through. Compliments of spices, raspberries, and dried cherries add complexity.
Savor: The ending is loaded with complexity, with spices, hints of toasted tobacco, jammy blackberries, and preserved cranberries.
Poizin Zinfandel is killer! Straight up loaded with deep, jammy, dark fruits and complex spices, it keeps things moving with an aggressive character and delicious flavors. The texture is also incredible, with a velvet glove feel hiding little pricks of heat from the height of the alcohol. Is it perfect, no, but Poizin Zinfandel is unbelievably delicious and valuable for a wine in the low $10s.
Verdict: Blackberries, Cranberry, Spice, Silk
Rating: 89
Price: $13
Armida Winery
Healdsburg, CA
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