A California Red at an Arizona Hot Spot

e-mail

Editor at large Harvey Steiman joined *Wine Spectator* in 1983; his tasting beats are Australia, Oregon and Washington.

Harvey Steiman
About Me
All My Picks
Weekly Picks Main Page
About Our Tastings

Titus Zinfandel Napa Valley 2007

Harvey Steiman
Posted: January 8, 2010

Titus, a small vineyard and winery near St. Helena in California’s Napa Valley, has a good reputation for Cabernet Sauvignon. When I saw its Zinfandel for $45 on the wine list at Pizzeria Bianco, Chris Bianco’s insanely popular spot in Phoenix, the red looked like the perfect choice for our fare. And it was.

The blueberry, plum and tomato leaf aromas and flavors had me on first sniff and sip. The sleek, supple texture was polished to a gleam. The wine, which contains 15 percent Petite Sirah, had richness without excess weight, power without the fangs of excess tannins or alcohol. Just what Zin should be. 92 points, non-blind.

WineSpectator.com members: Get our quick list of Top Values in California Zinfandel.

Member comments 2 comment(s)

Bradley Silva — Fresno, CA — January 9, 2010 1:19pm ET

I was at Pizza Bianco last June, with family, and had the exact experience with the Titus Zinfandel. The wine was fantastic, while we waited four hours for the best pizza we had ever had -- and my brother-in-law owns an Italian restaurant! The Titus Zin paired beautifully with Bianco's fresh ingredients. We are going back in three weeks. Glad to know Bianco has restocked. We're going for lunch; the wait should be shorter. Salud!

Harvey Steiman — San Francisco, CA — January 9, 2010 4:46pm ET

Sorry to say, Pizzeria Bianco is not open for lunch. They do have a bakery and sandwich shop called Pane Bianco a few blocks away that is open at lunchtime, however. I hear the sandwiches are as outrageously good as the pizzas are in the pizzeria.

Pizza-loving Phoenicians often send one of their party to Bianco to get their name on the list early, then go somewhere to hang out until shortly before the estimated seating time. Then you might have to wait in the bar for maybe a half hour, instead of 2 to 4 hours.

Would you like to comment?

Want to join or start a discussion? Become a WineSpectator.com member and you can!

To protect the quality of our conversations, only members may submit comments. To learn more about member benefits, take our site tour.