Rosenblum Makes Great Zinfandel

Had a brief in-store tasting with the a representative from Rosenblum. These guys are putting out some amazing wines at decent prices, and even get consistently high ratings from Spectator and Parker. Here are the wines we tried:

North Coast Rose 2005

A funny hint of what the representative referred to as "the white rine." That is, the watermelon without the sweetness. I disagree; I thought it was closer to watermelon Jolly Ranchers. A bit overpriced, but an interesting rose. 70% Gamay, 30% Grenache.

North Coast Zinfandel 2005

A good blend of zinfandel from Rosenblum's North Coast vineyards. Not as jammy and extracted as the San Francisco Bay, but still quite good. 2005 is even better than 2004.

Carla's Vineyard Zinfandel 2004

Planchon Vineyard Zinfandel 2004

Eagle Point Vineyard Zinfandel 2004

Aparicio Vineyard Zinfandel 2004

To be honest, these zins sort of blur together now. According to my notes, the Planchon had a bit more burnt raisin extraction, and the Eagle Point had noteable mineral tones that lingered for quite a while. All these wines were incredible and are highly recommended. While they do have minor differences, they are consistenly heavy with reasonably high alcohol balanced with huge body and fair amounts of sugar, without overdoing the jam or sweetness.

Rhodes Vineyard Petite Syrah 2004

This wine was incredibly dark in the glass. Heavy with a very full mouthfeel, practically coating the palate. Intense. Very good.