Renwood Amador County Old Vines Zinfandel 2010

renwood_ov_zinThe 2010 Renwood Amador County Old Vine Zinfandel is 92.5% Zinfandel, 5.8% Syrah and 1.7% Souzoa (a grape originally from Portugal and it is one of the grapes used to make Port) sourced from vineyards in Amador County, California. Renwood, which has been making wines since 1993, has a line of single vineyard Amador County Zinfandels and this is their blend of vineyards Zinfandel. Amador County is the location of the Gold Rush of 1849, now the gold is gone and there is grapes in them there hills. This Zinfandel was aged in mostly used oak barrels, less than 15% of the barrels were new, this gives the wine some oak characteristics, but not a great deal of aging potential. The alcohol content is a stout 15.5%.

The color is a see thru black cherry red. The nose is raspberry, cherry, coffee and a blend of Christmas and curry spices. This a large, but balanced Zinfandel with an outstanding array of spice flavors. It starts with somewhat understated cherry and raspberry, all the action in this Zin is with the secondary flavors and the spice. Then tart cranberry, some cola, followed by a complex display of spices, Altoids spice, pepper, curry and herbs. The tannins are firm, but do not interfere, the acidity is well balanced and helps the finish linger for a very long time.

The 2010 Renwood Amador County Old Vines Zinfandel is more than a, “Hey let’s carry out a couple of slabs from Smoke Daddy’s” and pop the top on a Zin (though that would be a most excellent idea) kind of wine. It is also a thinking man Zinfandel, the interesting action occurs in the layers and depth of this Zinfandel. With every sip, some new flavor or texture is exposed. If you’re a Zinfandel fan, the Renwood Amador County is definitely a wine to add to your Zinfandel bucket list.

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