This is Part 3 of my Lodi Old Vines Zin series.  Part 1 was the Spellbound 2005 and Part 2 was the (great value!) Ravenswood 2006. I have a few more bottles to try out so check back or subscribe to the RSS feed.  If you have some Lodi OVZ favorites, leave a comment.

Gnarley Head Old Vines Zinfandel 2006 Lodi

Producer: Gnarly Head

Grapes: Zinfandel (neither the label nor the website says whether it’s 100% or a blend)

Appellation: Lodi

Vineyards: 35-80 year old head-pruned vines in sandy soils.

Winemaking/Aging: Aged in not one, not two, but three types of oak: French, American and Hungarian. Neither the label nor the website says exactly how long it spends in oak or the % new.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: About $10-12

My tasting notes: Dusty dark fruit on the nose with lots of black pepper and a hint of green pepper. On the palate, I get spiced berries and plum. The  flavors are rich, but it quickly starts to feel a bit light/hollow. The finish is short and a bit hot.

Overall assessment: The flavor profile is fine, but the wine lacks the depth or intensity that I expect from old vines Zin. It’s pleasant, but not memorable. C

Free association: Lightweight and disappears quickly … like the Spin Doctors. (click for video)

More info:

Gnarly Head’s tech sheet.

Lots of other bloggers have posted on this, including: Daily Wine Tasting, A Bottle A Week, Wine For The Cheap and Gabe’s View.

Some notes at Cork’d.

This is Part 2 of my Lodi Old Vines Zin series.  Part 1 was the Spellbound 2005.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Ravenswood. Vintner’s Blend was one of my favorites when I was first getting into wine and their No Wimpy Wines slogan was appealing to that early-20s guy still making the transition from of kegs of Natty Light from his college days (or if we were splurging, Killian’s).  Now that I’m more “sophisticated”, I still dig Zin, but I appreciate Ravenswood’s broad range of “County Series” and “Vineyard Designates” wines. So I have high hopes for this bottle, from the County Series.

Ravenswood Old Vines Zinfandel 2006 Lodi

Producer: Ravenswood

Grapes: 78% Zinfandel, 21% Petite Sirah, 1% Carignane (this just barely qualifies for being labeled a Zinfandel; minimum is 75%)

Appellation: Lodi

Vineyards: Old vines in sandy soil. (Neither the label nor the website indicates just how old the vines are.)

Winemaking/Aging: Fermented with native yeasts in open fermenters, hand-punched.  18 months in 100% French oak, 25 – 30% of which was new.

Alcohol: 14.8% (ahem)

Price: About $11-12

Package: I’ve always liked the Ravenswood logo and relatively simple labeling with the appellation clearly shown.

My tasting notes: Deep color. Mixed berries, especially blueberries, on the nose, with pretty strong alcohol coming through along with some oak. On the palate, it’s a rich, plush wine with sweet plum, spice, and an slight funky earthiness that is very appealing. It finishes dry and spicy with some tannic grip and good length, though a bit hot.

Overall assessment: Overall, I think this is a dynamite wine for the price. Feels like the old vines squeezed out some of their essence for this wine. It feels … serious. B+

Free association: Something about this wine reminded me of the sadness of many of Patty Griffin’s songs. Top of the World is one of my favorites. (If you only know the Dixie Chicks version of this song and/or you’re not familiar with Patty Griffin, you’re in for a treat. A sad treat, but a treat nonetheless.)

More info:

Another Wine Blog tasted this wine single-blind and declared it a great value.

Other blogger reviews at Fiesty’s Wines and Gabe’s View.

Loads of tasting notes on CellarTracker.

Gary V. tasted the 2005 vintage of this wine on WineLibraryTV and loved it.