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Word Play Reserve Chard '94: made by Jim Clendennan of ABC, a bit
restrained for him but classic SantaBarbara fragrant pineapply w/ light
oak
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* Newton Napa Chard '94: a beautiful
rich lush almost peachy rather strong toasty oak; very perfumy; lovely
stuff
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Rabbit Ridge Barrel Cuvee Zin '95: attractive lush blackberry Zin
w/ very light oak; very nice for an inexpensive Zin.
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Word Play regular Chardonnay '94: This is the Prima house Chard
that Jim makes for them. Each bottle has the case # on it and one of a
dozen 4 letter words. Thus impossible to have a "complete" collection of
these labels. This bottle was the "LOVE" version. Bit softer & less
intense than the Reserve above, bit more silly on the oak.
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Leeward Bien Nacido Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir '94: Quite dark
for Pinot, lots of toasty oak, rich earthy type of Pinot fruit; quite nicely
done.
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Rosenblum Contra Costa Zinfandel '95: pleasant plummy tart berry/spicy
nice drinking wine; not that big but probably the most attractive zippy
ContraCosta wines made anywhere.
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Ravenswood Monte Rosso Vineyard Zinfandel '94: pleasant spicy/berry/oaked
nose; tart lean hard light berry flavor; a tart lean hard berry Zin, lacks
lushity.
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* Peachy Canyon Old Bailey Vineyard Zinfandel
'95: very spicy blackberry lush nose; tart rich lush very spicy blackberry
flavor; a big ripe rich lush very strong blackberry Zin; great stuff from
a new vnyd for Doug.
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* Peachy Canyon Leona's Vineyard Second
Crop Zinfandel '95: lots of ripe blackberry fruit; tart bit lean tannic
hard on the palate; again lots of fruit but that sorta hollowness in the
mouth that 2nd crop wines can have.
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* Peachy Canyon Dusi Ranch Zinfandel '95:
Huge ripe PasoRobles jammy blackberry Zin nose; big rich ripe mouthfilling
jammy blackberry some dusty/earthy/ complex flavors; has the structure
& tannins to age; a hige ripe lush classic Peachy Zin; killer stuff.
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Vigil Vineyards Tres Condados (3 counties) Zinfandel '95: pleasant
raspberry/cinammon & cloves/oaked nose; tart lean spicy bit hard flavor;
a pleasant raspberry Zin a bit on the lean & narrow side.
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Storybook Mountain Vineyards Mayacamas Range Zinfandel '94: hard
dusty earthy ligt raspberry nose; tart spicy raspberry bit dusty/earthy
flavor; nice balance of fruit & oak but a bit on the hard & lean
side.
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* Storybook Mountain Vineyards Reserve
Zinfandel '92: Deep dusty rich some pencilly/oaked nose; rich lush
blackberry oaked spicy cinammon flavor; very well made wine & probably
the best young Storybook I've had.
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* Coturri Sonoma Chauvet Vineyard Zinfandel
'95: Rich ripe dusty old vines bit volatile/ unclean nose; huge rich
ripe deep raspberry/blackberry off-dry some charred oak flavor; a huge
ripe extracted rather strange Zin that many did not like; sorta strange
but I loved it.
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* Coturri Albarello (10 varieties, 40%
Zin) '95: deep dusty old vines earthy very ripe blackberry/boysenberry
jammy bit volatile nose; slightly sweet very charred/pungent oaked
dusty old vines flavor; not as much ripe fruit & more dusty/earthy
than the Zin but just as strange.
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Sonoma Creek Sonoma Zinfandel '94: soft lush ripe forward blackberry
Zin; drink up over the short term.
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Gallo Frei Ranch Zinfandel '94: pleasant spicy/brambly/blackberry
tart bit lean Zin; would like a bit more extract & character, but nice
Zin.
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Hayward Los Chamizal Zinfandel '94: Ligt dusty/raspberry/light oaked
Zin; a bit hard & needs a yr or two.
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Sierra Vista El Dorado Zinfandel (barrel sample) '95: deep mushroomy
earthy light blackberry nose; oaked bit bretty dusty mushroomy flavor;
slight wet dog fur finish; clearly an unfinished wine.
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Sierra Vista 5 Reserve Zin '95: Stronger more intense mushroomy/earthy
rather more pencilly oaked nose; again a slight wet dog fur finish; a bit
bigger & richer & extracted; an unfinished wine.
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Amador Foothill Ferraro Ranch Zinfandel '94: Lovely spicy aromatic
raspberry nose; tart hard lean tannic raspberry flavor.
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Amador Foothill Clock Springs Vineyard Zinfandel '95: lovely fragrant
spicy aromatic raspberry nose; ripe buttery/oaked bit hard & lean flavor;
very young but a bit more lushness than Ben's Zins tend to have.
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Creston Bailey Vineyard Zinfandel '94: ripe jammy/blackberry lush
bit earthy soft Zin; lots of PasoRobles Zin character.
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Creston Bailey Vineyard Zinfandel '95: bit more bigger & ripe
& lush classic jammy blackberry Zin; both great buys at $10.
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ZAP Blend '94: Slightly bretty rather dull nose; simple bit smokey/charred
oak bit unclean/bretty flavor; when you take a whole spectrum of Zinfandels,
many very very good; blend them all together slapdash style; this is exactly
what you get: a "grey" wine that truly plods across the palate.
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* Newlan Napa Zinfandel '94: Deep blackberry
dusty earthy HowellMtn Zin nose; hard smokey charred oak rich dusty old
vines some blackberry flavor; a big hard rustiv mountain Zin that needs
some age; not as hard & narrow as previous Newlans; the real find of
this tasting.
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Windsor Sonoma Zinfandel '94: soft buttery/oaked pleasant raspberry
Zin; very nice Zin for $9.
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Windsor Sonoma Signature Series Zinfandel '94: a bit leaner &
harded & more oaked; not as attractive as the regular.
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* Belvedere DryCreek Zinfandel '94:
attractive very peppery very spicy nose; soft very buttery/oaked very peppery
flavor; not a very profound Zin but one that just seemed to resonate w/
me. Nicely done wine.
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Benzinger Sonoma Zinfandel '94: pleasant raspberry spicy buttery
oaked nose; soft very buttery oaked flavor; pleasant simple Zin.
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Benzinger Late Harvest Zinfandel '95: deep ripe lush blackberry
plummy nose; fairly sweet but thin/lean rather spicy/blackberry flavor;
nice nose w/ no raisened or late harvesty character but rather thin &
harsh & alcoholic on the palate.
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Rosenblum Late Harvest Zinfandel '94: very intense blackberry jammy
nose; rich lush spicy very blackberry jammy slight Kansas feed store flavor;
another delicious Rosenblum LateHrvst.
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** Edmunds St.John Durell Vineyard Syrah
'95: Black color; big intense rich blackberry Syrah roasted coffee/toasty/roasted/Rhone-like
nose; big hard tannic roasted/pungent/blackberry Syrah flavors. This is
absolutely stunning stuff, probably Steve's best Syrah ever, probably as
good as the Qupe Hillside Select '94. Lots of ripe blackberry Syrah &
lots of toasty/roasted Rhone character. To be released this Fall around
$30; not to be missed.
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** Edmunds St. John Grand Heritage Syrah
'92: beautiful complex oaked very spicy dusty perfumy nose; rich big
lush mouthfilling pungent blackberry Syrah very spicy complex flavor. Probably
the best LaChappelle ever made in this country. Still can use some age,
but really developing nicely.
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Rosemblum Napa Zinfandel '94: pleasant berry/raspberry/Zinberry
light oaked simple wine
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Rosemblum Vintner's Cuvee XIV: attractive raspberry spicy bit plummy/ContraCosta
Zin; a great value at $10, Ken't best in several cuvees.
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Rosemblum Contra Costa '95: deeper raspberry bit earthy nose; soft
spicy plummy some raspberry Zin flavor; Kent makes probably the brightest
& most zippy ContraCosta Zin of anybody.
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Rosemblum LePaws Mourvedre '95: ripe plummy bit earthy Mourvedre
nose; tart ripe plummy bit smokey/toasty flavor; a great drinking red for
$10.
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* Rosemblum Annette's Reserve Mendocino
County Zinfandel '95: deep blackberry bit earthy/dusty Mendo Zin nose;
ripe very spicy blackberry dusty flavor; this is Kent's first Mendocino
Zin release & he's done a wonderful job with it; one of the best Mendocino
Zins I've had in a long time.
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Rosemblum Harris-Kratka Alexander Valley Zinfandel '95: deep pencilly
some smokey/toasty oaked ripe raspberry Zin nose; lush ripe very spicy
raspberry flavor. His '94 was vastly overrated by Connoisseur's Guide at
3 puffs, but the '95 version may be worth that; much more structured &
rich than than the '94 version.
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* Rosemblum Sonoma Old Vines '95: deep
earthy dusty very spicy/blackberry Zin; much more structured than the '94;
another very well-done SOV, always one of my most favorites from Rosenblum.
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* Mt.Veeder Brandlin Ranch Zin '95:
very spicy lush deep blackberry ripe Zin; more richness & depth &
lushness than the '94. I always prefer the Mt.Veeder to the Hendry of his
Napa Zins.
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** Samsul Maggie's Reserve Zin '95:
Very dark color; intense licorice pungent chocolaty very dusty old vines
blackberry/boysenberry Zin; another killer Samsul w/ more extract than
the previous few.
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Holbrook Mitchell Trio (Cab blend) '95: ripe rich chocolatly/blackcurranty
Cab fruit wine; seems a bit less effusive & less Zin-like & a bit
more restrained than the '94; a beautiful Cab
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Hendry Reserve Zinfandel '95: deeper blackberry more pure Zinberry
fruit & more tannic & structured than the '94; seems more vibrant
fruit & more focused than previous one. Will be a good one.
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Hendry Reserve Cabernet '95: lots of bright spicy blackcurranty
almost Zin-like fruit; bit on the lean & hard side. He hasn't made
a Hendry Res Cab since '91; prefer the Holbrook Mitchell Trio
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Lone Oak Merlot '95: rather blackcurranty Cab-like nose; soft bit
sour some herbal flavor. Doesn't jazz me much.
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* Late Harvest Sonoma Zinfandel '95:
deep blackberry/cassis/frambois nose; sweet ripe lush blackberry/boysenberry
flavor w/ some tannins; doesn't seem hot & alcoholic at all. The previous
few LateHrvsts have seemed to have a slightly vegetal/herbal/Kansas feed
store (you had to have been there to appreciate that) character to them.
This one doesn't show any of that; his best LateHrvst yet, perhaps.
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Napa Cordineu Brut NV: very nice lean light yeasty delicate sparkler
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Bott Reserve Personnelle GWT '82: slight cabbaggy bit spicy nose
w/ little GWT fruit; soft bit flabby rather smooth delicat light spicy/nutmeg
flavor; interesting & nice but lack complexity & intensity &
starting its downhill slide.
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* Leon Beyer Clos de Egusheim GWT '83: fragrant spicy cloves complex
developed nose; soft lush bit off-dry smooth spicy elegant flavor; a very
nice VendageTardive GWT, probably near its peak. Very elegant.
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** Schloss Groensteyn Kiedricher Sandgrube
Auslese '76: beautiful complex cedary buttery old Rheingau nose; slightly
sweet soft buttery very complex peachy/botrytis flavor; bit tart/metallic
very complex buttery cedary finish that goes on and on. A classic mature
Rheingau.
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* Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill Cabernet
Sauvignon '79: Very dark color; beautiful intense blackcurranty licorice
cedary toasty oaked nose; rich toasty oaked ripe blackcurranty Cab pungent
flavor; bit short on the finish w/ some tannic lean hard character. Needs
more age yet.
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Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill Cabernet Sauvignon '80: Black color;
unusual menthol fragrant pungent licorice some blackcurranty Cab
nose; bit tart metallic lean licorice pungent flavor; still needs some
age; interesting Cab but something just seems a bit off-kilter about
this wine; nothing bad, just not up to expectations.
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** Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill Cabernet
Sauvignon '78: Black color; very intense pungent licorice smokey/toasty
oaked very ripe blackcurranty Cab nose; rich lush blackcurranty Cab pungent
toasty licorice chocolaty flavor; still a youngster; a huge Cab that could
use another 10 yrs. Killer stuff.
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Beringer Special Select Late Harvest Johanisberg Reisling '93: intense
botrytis/peachy/apricotty nose; very intense sweet apricotty/ambroisal/botrytis
flavor; good acid & should age 10-20 yrs; lovely stuff.
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Mark Swann Coonawarra White Riesling '82: intense complex Mosel/valve
oil bit cedary/oaked nose; tart bit dried out sweet spicy apricotty flavor;
a bit disappointing, expected a bit more lushness, seems a bit lean &
hard on the palate, but a great nose.
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Biale Vineyard Sonoma Monte Rosso '95: lighter pleasant raspberry
nose; tart lean simple some oaked raspberry falvor.
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* Biale Vineyard Napa Two Vineyards Zinfandel
'95: deep very spicy black peppery/black berry some pencilly oaked
nose; rich very peppery buttery oaked blackberry oaked flavor; a really
lovely very spicy Zin
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* Biale Vineyard Napa Old Crane Ranch Zinfandel
'95: lighter color; pleasant spicy bit pencilly oaked nose; ripe lush
spicy blackberry light pencilly oaked nose; very well made very spicy Zin
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Castle Vnyds Sonoma Zinfandel '94: Med.light color; very nice attractive
raspberry bit light oaked mainstream Zin
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* Castle Vineyards Sonoma Zinfandel '95:
ripe very lush spicy raspberry nost; soft forward lush ripe raspberry flavors;
quite a nice drinking Zin
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Cline Cellars Live Oak Vineyard Contra Costa Zinfandel '95: deep
ripe blackberry some oaked nose; soft dusty mushroomy plummy ripe light
oaked flavor; nice drinking plummy CC Zin but bit expensive @ $20.
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Cline Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Contra Costa Zinfandel '95: lighter
rather oaked bit plummy nose; lean buttery oaked low fruit bit earthy plummy
flavor; not as rich & lush as the LO; way overpriced @ $38.
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D-Cubed Cellars Howell Mountain Zinfandel '95: deep blackberry HowellMtn
dusty nose; soft rich peppery light dusty/raspberry flavor; short finish;
nice HM Zin nose but a bit low on the palate
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De Rose Winrery Cienega Valley Cedolini Hillside Old Vines Zinfandel
'94: very jammy plummy very ripe nose; very soft lush very jammy blackberry
flavor; a classic jammy central coast Zin but overpriced @ $18
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Deux Amis Sonoma Zinfandel '94: very fragrant spicy raspberry nose;
very soft light buttery/raspberry flavor; fragrant nose but light
on palate
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Deux Amis Sonoma Zinfandel '95: same fragrant raspberry spicy nose;
soft bit richer more lush flavor; on the light side but nice drinking
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Dry Creek Vineyard Sonoma Zinfandel '95: lush very forward raspberry
Am.oaked nose; soft light pleasant raspberry buttery oaked flavor;
very aromatic nose but would like more extract
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Dover Canyon Paso Robles Zinfandel '95: ripe lush very spicy jammy
blackberry nose; lovely ripe raspberry jammy flavor; classic jammy PR Zin
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Eberle Winery Paso Robles Zinfandel '95: lovely very fragrant spicy
raspberry peppery nose; bit tannic very spicy fragrant raspberry flavor;
a real raspberry fruit bomb; much like the '89 but more structure.
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Edmeades Vineyard Eaglepoint Vinyard Mendocino Zinfandel '95: fragrant
blackberry some earthy oaked nose; soft light bit washed out flavor
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Edmeades Vineyard Ciapusci Vineyard Mendocino Zinfandel '95: deep
blackberry dusty old vines nose; soft some lush blackberry flavor; great
nose but doesn't deliver on the palate
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* Edmeades Vineyard Zeni Vineyard Mendocino
Zinfandel '95: deep dusty old vines black- berry/black cherry bit oaked
nose; soft rich ripe dusty ripe blackberry/black cherry nose; great nose
& does deliver on the palate
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Fife Vineyards Spring Moutain Napa Zinfandel '94: light raspberry
light oaked bit closed nose; soft buttery raspberry fairly lush flavor;
nicely done but a bit soft & diffuse Zin
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Fife Vineyards Redhead Vineyard Redwood Valley Mendocino Zinfandel '94:
dark color; rather spicy peppery interesting nose; rather lean hard raspberry
flavor; very nice nose but bit thin on the palate.
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* Fife Vineyards RedHead Vineyard Redwood
Valley Mendocino Zinfandel '95: deep lush peppery/ blackberry nose;
rich soft lush blackberry peppery very spicy flavor; has the nose &
the extract, very good Mendocino Zin
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* Howell Moutain Vineyards Black-Sears
Howell Mountain Zin '95: Deep dusty pungent smokey nose; very spicy
peppery blackberry flavor; very interesting Zin w/ lots of ripeness &
lushness for Howell mtn (generic sense) Zin
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Karly Amador County Zinfandel '95: ripe blackberry dusty nose; ripe
soft fat buttery some blackberry/briary flavor; nice mainstream Amador
Zin
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Karly Warrior Fires Estate Amador Zinfandel '95: deep dusty blackberry
briary oaked nose; soft dusty briary blackberry oaked flavor; nice Amador
Zin but a bit overpriced.
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Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve California Zinfandel '94: fragrant
spicy pencilly oaked nose; tart lean buttery rraspberry flavor; unexciting
and very overpriced @ $24
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King Estate Oregon Zinfandel '94: pungent toasty dusty old vines
bit blackberry nose; sour dusty OV pungent flavor; rather interesting bit
lacks fruit & lushness.
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* La Crema Sonoma County Reserve Zinfandel
'95: deep lush raspberry oaked nose; rich lush very blackberry very
spicy oaked dusty flavor; big rich ripe Zin
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Lonetree Winery Mendocino Zinfandel '94: rather dusty low fruit
nose; hard lean earthy bit pickle juice little fruit flavor; strange stuff.
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Madrona Vineyards Reserve El Dorado Late Harvest Estate Zinfandel '95:
lovely lush jammy boysenberry/blackberry/framboise nose; bit hot alcoholic
light blackberry flavor; great nose but bit hot & fumey on palate
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* Martinelli Jackass Vineyard Russian River
Valley Zinfandel '95: very fragrant perfumy lush blackberry very spcy
nose; ripe very spicy dusty old vines blackberry some oaked flavor; a classic
ripe structured Zin, beautiful
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Martinelli Jackass Hill Russian River Valley Zinfandel '95: rather
stinky pungent H2S mercaptan bit skunky some blackberry nose; hard tannic
light blackberry oaked pungent stinky flavor; a wine that has definite
problems; rather unclean & lacking fruit; obscenely priced @ $45!
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Milano Winery Sanel Valley Vineyard Mendocino Zinfandel '95: light
closed nose; tart lean little fruit flavor; rather oxidized/wet dog
fur finish
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Milano Winery Sanel Valley Vineyard Mendocino Zinfandel '94: med.color;
bit dusty earthy nose; hard low fruit flavor; another Mendocino disappointment
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Paraduxx Napa Valley Zin '94: closed simple berry some oaked nose;
strange rather herbal/vegetal flavor; expected more from Duckhorn.
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* Pezzi King Vnyds Dry Creek Vlly Hillside
Estate Zin '95: ripe fragrant very aromatic raspberry some oaked nose;
lush very spicy very raspberry light oaked flavor; very much a Nalle style
zin w/ lots Zinberry character; very well-made wine
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Ravenswood Monte Rosso Vineyard Sonoma Zinfandel '95: Dark color;
fragrant raspberry blackberry nose; tart bright raspberry bit lean flavor;
very nice nose but a bit lean on the palate
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* Ravenswood Wood Road Russian River Valley
Zinfandel '95: Very fragrant very spicy blackberry nose; big rich ripe
blackberry/dusty OV flavor; very well-done Zin w/ lots of richness &
structure.
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Renwood Fox Creek Vineyard Shenandoah Zinfandel '95: pleasant raspberry
nicely spicy bit briary nose; tart bit thin pleasant raspberry flavor;
lack the richness & lushness of Renwoods of old; little Amador character
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Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel/Grenache '95: lovely fragrant strawberry/Grenache
nose; very attractive spicy fragrant strawberry/raspberry flavor; a really
great drink zippy little wine
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Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs Zinfandel '95: attractive very forward
raspberry Zin nose; soft light spicy raspberry flavor; not the richness
or extract previous LS Zins
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Ridge Vinyards Lytton Estate Zinfandel '95: bit more lush spicy
raspberry nose; soft round lush spicy raspberry flavor; seemson the
light side.
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Ridge Vineyards Geyserville '95: more deep blackberry bit dusty/earthy
typical Gysrvle funky nose; soft lush earthy dusty blackberry light oaked
flavor; not the richness & tannins of earlier versions; seems a bit
closed & dumb
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* Saddleback Cellars Napa Valley Zinfandel
'94: Black color; intense pencilly smokey oaked pungent toasty some
blackberry nose; intense pungent toasty oaked roasted some blackberry flavor;
a Cote-Rotie of Zins; much like some of the old Philip Togni Buehler Zins;
great stuff if eccentric
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* Saddleback Cellars Old Vines Napa Zinfandel
'95: same toasty/roasted oak but more ripe blackberry fruit; another
killer Zin
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J. Runquist Massoni Ranch Amador Zinfandel '95: pleasant simple
raspberry nose; light simple raspberry flavor; little Amador character
or extract; much like his rather stripped Montevina Zins
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* Saucelito Canyon Arroyo Grande Valley
Zinfandel '95: intense blackberry dusty plummy rather milky/Am oaked
nose; soft very spicy blackberry jammy dusty flavor w/ some tannins; anothe
great Saucelito Cnyn Zin
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Shenandoah Vineyards Vintners Selection Amador County Zinfandel '95:
fragrant Amador briary bit light nose; soft ripe plummy Amador briary flavor;
nice drinking Zin bit lacking in structure
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Sobon Estate Fiddletown/Lubenko Vineyard Zinfandel '95: very dark
color; pungent smokey dusty earthy light blackberry nose; rich dusty
earthy pungent some blackberry flavor; another very good Lubenko
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Sobon Estate Cougar Hill Shenandoah Zinfandel '95: some blackberry
bit bretty/ unclean oaked nose; hard closed dusty OV bit blackberry flavor;
seems a bit hard & closed
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Sobon Estate Rocky Top Zinfandel '95: fragrant perfumy spicy briary
slight bretty nose; rather soft spicy raspberry/briary flavor; doesn't
have the extract of previous RockyTops
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Sky Vineyards Mt.Veeder Estate Zinfandel '94: dusty low fruit nose;
hard lean tart light raspberry flavor; a hard lean mtn Zin that needs
some age.
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Spenker Winery Lodi Zinfandel '95: really strong oaky/smokey rather
dusty/plummy nose; soft plummy very toasty/pencilly oaked flavor; rather
interesting very oaked Zin
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Swan Vineyards Stellwagen Vineyard Sonoma Zinfandel '95: very fragrant
spicy Zin nose; attractive raspberry spicy dusty light oaked flavor; very
nicely done interesting Zin.
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* Swan Vineyards Ziegler Vineyard Russian
River Valley Zinfandel '95: Lush fragrant very spicy aromatic raspberry/Zinberry
nose; tart bit smokey oaked very spicy raspberry dusty OV flavor;
very interesting very spicy Zin
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* Swan Vnyds Lone Redwood Ranch Russian
River Valley Zinfandel '95: deep lush peppery very spicy aromatic nose
w/ slight volatility; lush ripe very spicy peppery bright fragrant raspberry
flavor; a lovely very spicy Zin
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Teldeschi Dry Creek Valley Estate Zinfandel '92: bit unclean some
blackberry dusty nose; dusty bit low in fruit blackberry flavor.
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Easton Fiddletown/Eschen Vineyard Amador Zinfandel '95: classic
Eschen bright cherry/ black cherry nose; hard lean closed tannic light
black cherry flavor; a classic hard tannic Eschen Zin; needs age badly
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Easton Amador County Shenandoah Valley Zinfandel '95: fragrant blackberry
Shenandoah Vlly briary nose; bit overripe blackberry/briary flavor; good
example of Shenandoah Vlly Zin
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* Tria Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel '95:
lovely spicy OV dusty fragrant raspberry/ Zinberry nose; tart very raspberry
very spicy light oaked flavor; a very well-made classic DCVlly Zin
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Tria Napa Valley Zinfandel '95: softer raspberry bit closed nose;
leaner tarter bright raspberry Zin flavor; not the depth of the DCVlly
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* Turley Black-Sears Howell Moutain Zinfandel
'95: deep blackberry very ripe bit alcoholic nose; rich ripe lush blackberry
toasted oaked flavor; lots of ripeness but still retains its balance.
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* Turley Hayne Vineyard Napa Valley Zinfandel
'95: Very dark color; deep licorice pungent oaked ripe blackberry nose;
hard tannic pungent toasty oaked rich dusty OV licorice flavor; lots of
ripeness but still the balance is there
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Wellington Vineyards Indian Springs Ranch Sonoma Zinfandel '95:
soft attractive nice drinking pleasant raspberry Zin; nice for the $10
price
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Wellington Casa Santinamaria Sonoma Valley Zinfandel '95: deep lush
blackberry nose; soft ripe lush blackberry jammy flavor; much like the
'94 but a bit richer & lusher.
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Deaux Chapeaux Napa Valley Pinot Noir '94: this negiocant operation
is Larry Stone's second hat. The wine mostly was Rasmussen Pinot. Rather
strange and somewhat on the herbal side w/ lots of oak; not much extract
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Ojai Sauvignon Blanc '95: nice pleasant bit simple melony nose;
rather soft maybe even off-dry on the palate. Expected much more from thiswine.
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Ken Wright Wash State Ciello Vnyd Melon de Bourgogne '95: incredible
perfumy fragrant nose of pears & spice; best Melon I've ever had
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Colgin Napa Valley Henry Lamb Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon '93: This
is Fred's wine, made by Helen Turley & my first exposure to it. Absolutely
incredible Cabernet. Black color; very intense blackcurranty Cab some dusty/earthy/
chocolaty mtn Cab nose; huge mouthfilling ripe blackcurranty Cab some toasty
oaked pungent licorice flavor. Reminds me a bit of the Togni Cabs w/o the
overpowering toasty oak. Almost enough to make one start drinking Cab again.
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Mt. Eden Old Vines Reserve SantacCruz Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon '92:
rather herbal/earthy/dusty nose that cleared to a light blackcurranty Cab
classic SCM Cab nose; fairly big ripe extracted dusty SCM Cab flavor; much
like a jr. Monte Bello Cab.
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??? Monbazillac '88: fairly dark gold color; rather botrytis/peachy/
bit earthy nose; bit hard rather botrytis/peachy earthy flavor; quite a
good Sauternes wannabe w/ a nice funky earthiness. ??? Quarts de Chaume
'93: rather closed light pear-like earthy nose; tart lean narrow hard slightly
sweet CB flavor; a ggod QdC but badly in need of some age.
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