2007 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel $8
February 2, 2010 by dave
Back in 1994 or 1995, Vintners Blend was the very first wine that caught my attention, it was the “house wine” for a now defunct local restaurant aptly named Zinfandels. I went thru quite a few bottles of this back in the day, it actually cost 4 bucks more back then. After a few years I got turned on to other wines and I forgot about Ravenswood and it’s been 10 years since I tried a bottle of the Vintners Blend. This Zin is sourced from vineyards all over California, it’s 76% Zinfandel (in California to be a single varietal the bottle must contain at least 75% of that grape), plus 9% Carignane ( a blending grape used to give the wine color and acidity, 8% Petite Sirah ( a grape that also adds color, tannins and a dark blueberry flavor) and 7% mixed blacks ( various red grapes). The ’94 was a really tasty wine, I hope the ’07 still has some pazazz.
The color is Dorothy’s ruby slippers red, crystal clear and see thru. Not a bad nose, cherry cough drops, hints of menthol, plums and some kind of savory stewed meat thing going on. The first flavor is dark fruit and then a hit of oak in the back of your mouth. The second sip brought strawberries and raspberries and a dose of spice. It has a persistent cola flavored finish. Soft and smooth for a zinfandel, but good tasting. This would be the perfect wine to have with BBQ ribs.
Is the Vintners Blend as good now as it was 15 years ago? I don’t know, my palate has changed since those days, but I liked it then and I like it now. So kudos to Joel Peterson, the Vintner, for keeping the quality of this value priced wine consistent for all these years.
Tagged: Carignane, mixed blacks, no wimpy wines, Petite Sirah, Ravenswood, vintners blend
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
Loading ...
[...] of wine here. Now, don’t spend too much – Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Woop Woop Shiraz and Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend are the way to go [...]