2007 Brazin Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel (red label)

Hello! I thought I had blogged this wine before, but no!! One month last spring (before the blog) the wine group did a whole dinner of Zinfandel. It was pretty interesting. There's a big world of Zins out there. They are typically California wines, and many of them are from some of the oldest plantings in California. Apparently it was a popular grape among the Italian immigrants who first planted vineyards in California. As a varietal it was overlooked for a number of years while cabernets became very popular. However, some of the old plantings still remain, and zinfandel has pretty decant following today. Having said all this, there are lots of zinfandels available, in a variety of price ranges. They tend to be big, bold and fruity with varying hints of mocha, pepper and sometimes a little licorice or leather. They pair well with basic American foods such as burgers, steaks, not too hot barbeque, and (our favorite) pizza. Some of the more expensive single vineyard zins are fairly complex and should age well, but in general zins are everyday wines.

Our favorite everyday zin is Brazin Dry Creek Valley, available at most local liquor stores (I've seen this at Ashes, Bob's, McScrooges, Cedar Bluff, and I'm sure it's at others as well). It runs from $11 to $15 a bottle. It has a nice deep color, and on the nose there is lots of cherry and a bit of oak and spice. It's very fruit forward with cherry, plum and blueberry with a bit of cinnamon on the finish. The label describes hints of mocha and vanilla as well. I would agree with this. Overall, not complex, but very tasty and enjoyable. We had it with our homemade pizza and it was delicious!! Brazin also makes a Lodi zin with an orange label. I don't care for it as much. The flavor profile is a little different and I didn't think it was as well balanced as the Dry Creek (both were 2007), but everyone's palate is different, so you might want to give it a try.