2006 Cline Zinfadel

This was a terrific zinfandel from the Sonoma region in California. We had this wine with lamb chops smothered in onions, tomato, and olive. It was a lovely match with the lamb and may be the best zinfandel I've ever had. Unfortunately, I'm not sure where I got this wine. It probably came from either Bob's or Campbell Station, and of course, I'm not sure about the price. I'd guess this to be in the $20 to $30 dollar range.

The color was a deep, inky garnet with a bit of a brick red color at the edge. The aromas were of oak, blackberry, vanilla and chocolate. The flavor was of blackberry and cherry with the vanilla and chocolate previously described. On the palate it was very fruit forward, and had a wonderful smooth, rounded quality. It was very silky for a zin with well integrated tannins. The finish was smooth and lingering. It was one of those wines that was just delicious. This wine was excellent with the lamb, but would also make a great sipping wine. I think part of the success of this wine was the fact that it has a little age. This rounded out the tannins and integrated all the flavors. I will look for this again.