...tasted this weekend. (Sorry, nothing I could do would rotate the bottles.)
I like zinfandels for the fruit, complexity and balance the best ones offer. Since I only drink them with food a small fraction of the time they need to be able to stand alone.
3. 2016 Cline Ancient Vines Contra Costa County (WS 91) $13 - the fruitiest of the 3 with a nice forward strawberry flavor smoothly balanced with soft tannins and spice. The lightest of the 3. "Light port"?
2. 2015 Old Ghost Lodi $30 - a little less fruit but still fruit-forward, this one is the biggest of the 3 with good depth and complexity but slightly rough on the finish. Jimbill calls it a "fruit bomb" but I disagree. This was our second place wine at the March 9 zinfandel dinner.
1. 2016 Turley Juvenile (WS 90) $22 - the least fruit forward but the fruit was perfectly integrated into the other flavors. Not as deep or complex as the best Turleys but this one put a smile on my face. Two local restaurants serving it by the glass.
I like all of these wines and just picked up two more of the Cline at Safeway today.
I'm beginning to question the Wine Spectator ratings these days. They aren't as reliable (to my taste) as they used to be.
