WINE FRIDAY: 2012 Frei Brothers Zinfandel Reserve

WINE FRIDAY: 2012 Frei Brothers Zinfandel Reserve 150 150 David Rosengarten

2012 Frei Brothers Zinfandel Reserve, Dry Creek Valley ($20)2012 zinfandel

Though Zin was an early fave of mine (in the early days of my wine discovery!), I don’t crave it much anymore. Generalizing ain’t easy because it is a wine that has many different style manifestations…but, these days…I find lots of rugged tannin and brutish alcohol in them thar Zins. So it is a special pleasure to open a bottle of this Zin, from the famous Zin valley in Sonoma: it is delightfully easy to drink and enjoy. Fairly dark garnet-purple (but not scary dark). Explosive nose (especially right after opening) with a heap o’ jammy hints: blackberry, raspberry, plus that hard-to-describe Zin thang (traditionally called “briary” or “brambly.”) At two years old, still coming on with more fruit than anything else…plus an eau-de-vie kind of shading. Mostly dry, jumpy and juicy, with nary a scratch of tannin.

Wine4Food

Just great for long-cooked meats of any kind: on the grill, in the oven, in a stew pot.

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