Today we have one of my Two-Bottle posts of Wine Guerrilla Zinfandels crafted by Bruce Patch. (Info on how you can become a guerrilla, and get your hands on possibly “the greatest Zin in the world”, is below the tasting report):
09 Harris-Kratka Vineyard Zinfandel
Alexander Valley, Sonoma County
85% Zinfandel, 10% Carignan & 5% Petite Sirah
14.8 percent alcohol
268 Cases Produced
Appearance – Bright garnet to a ruby edge, opaque.
Aroma – Plums, musty mushrooms, black peppercorns, stewed fruit, rare sirloin.
Taste – Brighter than expected, pushing tart fruit deep into my palate and leaving a lingering dryness, dark and light fruit, pepper, astringency causing my tastebuds to erect and a lingering juiciness.
Conclusion – To age or not to age…if you want the bright fruit to match the nose, age it. If you don’t care, as I did, drink one bottle now, cellar another no more than five years…and see.
09 Conte Vineyards Russian River Valley
83% Zin, 12% Petite Sirah, 2% Carignan, 2% Alacante Bouchet, and 1% Grenache
15.1 percent alcohol
238 cases produced
Appearance – Magenta to purple colored, stretched out to just a sliver of darker edge.
Aroma – Sweet dark fruits – plum and blackberry, mushrooms, forest floor, a slight mustiness-gamey quality that made me hungry.
Taste – Juicy dark fruit, sharp tannins, black pepper, smoother in five minutes, but both were very pleasant.
Conclusion – Extremely long and flavorful finish.
Membership Info:
Membership has its privileges….you can chose your membership one of two ways: the club is 6 bottles twice a year or 12 bottles twice a year. Bruce said, “Our first Zindicate release (wine club only) will be the 2010 Monte Rosso Vineyard Sonoma Valley Zinfandel. This may just be the most famous Zinfandel vineyard in the world.”
From the website: Wine Guerrilla is a hero to those who seek wines of unabashed uniqueness and character. Wherever proud zinfandel grapes are oppressed and the taste buds of consumers are in peril, Wine Guerrilla is there!
The Zindicate wine club offers single vineyard Zinfandels that are not available at any restaurant or wine store nationally as well as all of our other releases. And, you get 25% off all wine purchases once you are a member and have received your first shipment. http://WineGuerrilla.com
