...a local Italian restaurant/wine shop holds a zinfandel dinner every year. The latest one was last night.
The dinner started with an Antipasto, then a Pasta with Tomato, Cured Pork Jowl, Pecorino and Hot Pepper (spicy!). The main course was 5 Pork Ribs Tuscan Style with Brussels Sprouts and Baked Polenta. All the courses were designed to bring out the best in the zins.
Unlike previous years, they poured the 6 wines in two flights which made it difficult to compare them all without more wine in the first 3 glasses, but they poured generously.
Here are the wines rated by which ones I liked the best:
6. 2016 Robert Biale R. W. Moore Vineyard, Napa - $50 - this was the most expensive wine and also the youngest. It tasted like an outlier, different than the others, lighter and without much fruit.
5. 2014 School House "Mescolanza", Spring Mountain $40 - ok but not much fruit.
4. 2014 Limerick Lane, Russian River Valley Estate $36 - this one was good with a lot of jammy fruit but an little acidic finish.
3. 2014 Seghesio "Cortina", Chen's Vinyard, Dry Creek Valley $40 -very good and balanced
2. 2014 Klinker Brick "Old Ghost" Old Vines, Lodi - $37 - their $15 zin is everywhere and decent for the price, but I learned they have two vineyard designated bottlings which they don't make as much of. This one was excellent, fruity and balanced.
1. 2015 Gamba "Starr Road" Russian River Valley - $45 - once again, Gamba was the best. Big, juicy and complex.
