Maryhill Winery 2007 Zinfandel Sponsored Wine Review by Billy

Nose: Warm black pepper and mashed blueberry/raspberry/cherry presents itself surrounded in a vanilla spicy oak.
Palate: Warm, bold and full on the palate. This is a delightfully crafted Zinfandel. In the mouth this Washington State red wine is layered and full.
Finish: Warm Vanilla and more fruit at the end.
Overall: This wine was sent to us at The Wine Cask Blog free for review. On initial tasting this 2007 Washington State, Columbia River Valley, Zinfandel presented quite tight so I decanted it. It is big fruity and accessible. A very nice Zinfandel. Decanting opened it up from its initial tightness and presented more nice berry forward flavors and smalls. Overall a very nice zinfandel from Mary Hill Winery in Washington State.

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A Mano Primitivo 2007 Wine Review by Billy

Nose:earthy aromas with blueberries
Palate:warm spices and cedar with a smooth, even balance and tannins that warm and do not overwhelm.
Finish: short and tannic. more juicy berry notes.
Overall: I paid about $17 for this wine. A Mano Primitivo is the Italian version of the Zinfandel grape. The styles between this and American Zinfandels could not be more striking. The warm earth notes and soft tannins contrast with US Zin's typically fruit and hot black pepper explosion. While there are definite similarities, this Italian wine is milder and juicier with more earth notes than is typical for other Zins.

A nice take on a familiar varietal. For $17 not a bargain wine but not an unfair price for a new experience.

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St. Francis 2006 Old Vines Zinfandel wine review by Billy

Nose: Peppery Cedar spice (classic Zin!) and a dark berry cream on the nose.
Palate: Good structure, unassuming and uncomplex but sticking to what it knows well and doing it well!
Finish: soft and dark berries come back for a small but fine finish.

Overall: a nice 2006 california (sonoma) zin. I am eating it with pizza with which it goes perfectly! PB paid about $24 for this.

Sonoma Seghesio Zinfandel 2006 wine review by Billy

Nose: deep rich nose. Tight but will open with time. Peppery with Kola nut and berry.
Palate: Rich palate, tight tannins with open with time. Good structure with a touch of acid bite at the back
Finish: long and lingering with cracked pepper and smooth pepper tapering off

Overall rich and savory.

I paid about 31 GBP (about $45 usd) for this at an upscale London restaurant.

Gallo Family Winery Sonoma Reserve Zinfandel 2004

Nose: big fruit, stewed cherries and cola, small toasted coffee, basil

Palate: Thin but balanced. Not overly tannic. More of an old world style construction. Elegant. The mouth feel does not follow on the expectations of the nose. This isn't bad but it is unexpected.

Finish: thin fruit finish, green leaf parsley.

I paid about $10 for this and for that $10 you get a decent California Zin that presents first like your expected $10 fruit bomb, but the mouth feel is anything but your typical jammy fruit bomb. This is a sit down and drink me with pizza on movie night wine.

If your going to buy wine to impress the girl this Valentines day, spring for two bottles, make this the second one.

PB reviewed the 2003 back in '05. Read that review here.

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Quivira 2004 Zinfandel Wine Review by Billy

Nose: Classic zin nose of earthy cherry, tobacco and cracked pepper spice

Palate: on opening this is overbalanced and over acidic tending toward a bitter astringency.
Finish; meh. smoother than the palate feel would suggest. Eating olives (like I did while reviewing this wine) cuts the bitterness a bit

Overall I do not care for this wine. I shared a bottle with the fetching Mrs. Billy at a local restaurant (where I paid $40 for the bottle). After taking the remaining 1/2 bottle home and trying it the next day, the bitterness was still pronounced and the nose (the best part of the wine) had dulled.

The green-astringency and pronounced bitterness that hid the berry flavors and smoothness suggests that too many young grapes went into the creation of this wine. It is possible that the bottle would mellow and characterize with some cellaring but I would have hoped that it would be ready by now.

Others have enjoyed this wine (or at least the vineyard) more than I but Raise a Glass anyway!