News & Features
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Tasting Highlights
New reviews of top 2008 and 2009 reds with plenty of personality
Posted: March 21, 2011 By Tim Fish
News & Features
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What We're Drinking Now
Ravenswood Zinfandel Sonoma County Old Vine 2007
Posted: February 23, 2011 By Tim Fish
Blogs
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Exploring Wine with Tim Fish
Notes on favorite wines and vintage impressions from the 20th anniversary of the annual San Francisco event
Posted: January 31, 2011 By Tim Fish
Zinfandel fans are a devoted bunch. Not only has the annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) tasting thrived for 20 years in San Francisco, but thousands of Zin buffs lined up Saturday in the drizzling rain for a chance to taste the latest releases from more than 200 producers.
Except for a few 2006s and 2007s, most of the wines poured were from the 2008 vintage or barrel samples from 2009. The 2008s remain a mixed bag, with many unbalanced wines, but the best are showing more promise than I expected a year ago.
The 2009 Zinfandels should have wide appeal, at least from my preliminary tastings. After the 2009 harvest, many of us didn’t know what to expect. The vintage was like a good book with a lousy ending. But the initial 2009 barrel samples seem pleasantly ripe and balanced, offering good structure and acidity. Following are my notes on some of my favorite wines among the roughly 50 I sampled.
Blogs
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Exploring Wine with Tim Fish
Region's long history with Zinfandel gives it an edge
Posted: January 26, 2011 By Tim Fish
A lot of us drank Zinfandel in the old days because it was cheap. For 10 bucks, I could buy a terrific bottle in the early 1990s and I didn’t have to cross my fingers or anything. Today the top wines run $30 or $40 and, since I don’t have a mattress stuffed with Facebook stock, I can’t drink those every day.
And yet, one of the perks of being a Zin buff is that it’s still possible to find a tasty wine at a decent price, and not just the generic Zinfandels that carry a California designation. Most regions still produce a few honest, handcrafted Zins that sell for less than $20.
Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County is home to two of my favorite values, and the current releases remind me why the wines are so reliable.
News & Features
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Tasting Highlights
New reviews of Golden State Zins from Turley, Carlisle and other top producers
Posted: December 6, 2010 By Tim Fish
News & Features
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What We're Drinking Now
Dry Creek Vineyard Zinfandel Sonoma County Heritage 2008
Posted: October 26, 2010 By Tim Fish
News & Features
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Tasting Highlights
New reviews of Pinot Noir and Zinfandel from Sonoma
Posted: October 25, 2010 By MaryAnn Worobiec
News & Features
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What We're Drinking Now
Four Vines California Zinfandel Old Vine Cuvee 2007
Posted: October 13, 2010 By Kim Marcus
News & Features
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Columns
Ravenswood winemaker Joel Peterson sits down for a vertical tasting of single-vineyard wines
Posted: October 12, 2010 By Tim Fish
News & Features
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News
Matriarch of Sonoma Zinfandel family helped build the business and welcome visitors
Posted: October 5, 2010 By Tim Fish
News & Features
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What We're Drinking Now
Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma County Old Vine 2008
Posted: October 1, 2010 By Tim Fish
Sept. 30, 2010 Issue
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Features
An old-time Napa family succeeds with some of California’s oldest vines
Posted: September 30, 2010 By Tim Fish
Learn Wine
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Ask Dr. Vinny
Posted: September 20, 2010
News & Features
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Tasting Highlights
New reviews of a dozen exciting young reds from the Golden State, some collectible, some good values
Posted: July 19, 2010 By Tim Fish
News & Features
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What We're Drinking Now
Carol Shelton Zinfandel Mendocino County Wild Thing Old Vine Cox Vineyard 2006
Posted: July 16, 2010 By Tim Fish
News & Features
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What We're Drinking Now
De Loach Zinfandel Russian River Valley 2008
Posted: July 9, 2010 By Tim Fish
News & Features
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What We're Drinking Now
Outpost Zinfandel Howell Mountain 2007
Posted: July 7, 2010 By Thomas Matthews
June 30, 2010 Issue
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Alphabetical Listing
Posted: June 30, 2010
June 30, 2010 Issue
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Tasting Reports
Wines for every taste and price range
Posted: June 30, 2010 By Tim Fish
June 30, 2010 Issue
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Tasting Reports
2007 is a vintage to relish, offering the highest quality in more than a decade to uplift summer fare
Posted: June 30, 2010 By Tim Fish
