One of our ridiculously rainy evenings had me hankering for a bit of red. I looked at my little wine rack and found a bottle of Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel. I honestly have no idea where it came from so I can only assume it was a gift. I love my friends!
Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel 2012
This Old Vine Zin is a deep garnet color and has a rich smoky, black cherry aromas with hints of dark chocolate and a distinct spike of cardamon spice. At the first sip you get a smooth, deep overripe cherry taste with a sweetness on the tip of your tongue, which teases the taste buds. After a while the sweetness settles down a little but the sweetness still abounds. I honestly couldn’t tell at first if I really liked this wine as I am not a huge lover of sweeter wines. I let it sit for a while just to make sure. After a little time I tasted it again and I have to say it grew on me quite a bit.
This is definitely a wine to be enjoyed in the cold winter month’s wrapped in a blanket on your sofa and perhaps not in the midst of summer. However, given the rainy, slightly below temperature weekend we were having in Boston a few weeks ago it made for a perfect evening wine, which I thoroughly enjoyed with some blue cheese and crackers. I loved how the sweetness of the wine offset the sharpness of this cheese.
This wine does mellow out the longer it is left open to a wonderfully smooth but still slightly sweet wine with a long finish. I actually preferred it more on day two.
If you like reds a little on the sweet side, this one is for you.
This wine is a great price at $17 and is absolutely one to keep at hand for your casual, easy drinking evenings with friends.
Winemaker’s Notes
The most rich, intense and multi-dimensional zinfandel tends to be produced from “Old Vines”, vines that are at least 50 years old. “Old Vines”, also known as Ancient Vines, Gnarly vines, Old Timer Vines, Old World Vines or Old Twisted Vines are in decline, mature in age, with low vigor. They tend to have fewer clusters of grapes with smaller berry size, yielding more intense sugars, color and concentration of flavors typically producing wines that are generally better balanced with more body and structure.
My rating…
