2008 Cline Ancient Vine Zinfandel

Recently there has been run a rebate of 30$ on Cline wines. The 2008 and the 2007 bottles were intermixed at my store- I mistakenly grabbed a few 2008s.

Bad.

Very bad.

The first time I got a 2008 Ancient Vine Zinfandel from Cline I remarked that it tasted like the smell of dryer lint. I know that sounds odd, but there really was no way to characterize the bottle. I tried leaving it out in the air, corked, and it still didn't improve.

I aerated it. No dice.

I finally fed it to some plants.

DO NOT BUY THE 2008 ANCIENT VINE ZINFANDEL. Buy the 2007 instead.

Cline Ancient Vine Mourvedre Zinfandel - 2007

A note about vintages- each year, each winery strives to create a product that can sell based on the previous years' advantages. Each year the winery will do whatever it takes to create a seller- otherwise they've ended up with nothing but slop.

The 2007 Cline Ancient Vine Zinfandel is an excellent, delicious, smooth, tannin laden wine with blackberry and a nose so rich you'll wish to inhale it rather than sip.

Right now there is a 30$ rebate for this wine- at 12.99 a bottle it is very well priced.

BUT ONLY GET THE 2007 VINTAGE!

The 2008 is quite awful- it reeks and tastes of, for lack of a better term, dryer lint.

Jacob's Creek 2006 Shiraz (not reserve)

This wine was not to my liking. I'm not sure what was wrong with it- oh the flavors were there, but it was very harsh and just did not drink well. I ended up wasting 3/4 of the bottle. I did let it age overnight (corked) after pouring the first glasses, and the second day it was still not any better.

Interesting to note, it was $7.99 a bottle to the reserve's price of $6.99.

Skip it.

Altos Del CUCO Syrah / Temperance

I found this wine online- here
http://www.bourbonstreetwineandspirits.com/r/products/altos-del-cuco-monastrell-syrah-tempranillo-2007

Another good wine, priced at 7.99$- didn't match my steak so much, but it did actually go well with charred vegetables on the grill. Speaking of which I'll have to pick up another case or so.

ATTECA Old Vines Zinfandel 2007

ATTECA Old Vines Zin 2007

I've grown to love Zinfandel - strong flavor, heavy on the palate- sometimes overpowering, but usually worth the taste. This bottle was labeled as a deal and so I grabbed it. It was excellent- I'd rate it up with Cline Old Growth Zin- and it was 2$ cheaper too at $10.99.

Cotes Du Rhone par Kermit Lynch 2007

Cotes Du Rhone par Kermit Lynch 2007

Every time I hit the wine store I try to pick up a bottle from France- a special bottle, or one with a wine spectator review- or a name or place I recognize from my travels. I don't tend to cellar much wine (although I did find a case I forgot about- as soon as my wife allows me to have some that is) so most of the wines I grab are for immediate consumption.

This bottle was excellent. Best of all- and I don't typically do this- I finished the whole bottle in one evening. Better than that? No hangover. I don't know if it was the low sulfites or just luck, but this was an excellent wine and it went down oh-so-smooth.

I'll have to pick up a few bottles to keep around for folks that don't like reds- or are sensitive to them. In fact, I'll follow up after MAO tries some to see if she could drink it.

Priced at $7.99 - excellent value.

Castle Rock 2008 Pinot Noir

Castle Rock 2008 Pinot Noir

Castle Rock delivers another excellent wine. Opened and with no airing it was delicious, smooth, full of flavours and not a bit harsh anywhere. The bottle also kept for several days of small wine tastes as I cooked various meals.

I don't think I've ever had a bad bottle from Castle Rock- and this is no exception.

I'm skipping the usual scores as I'm in a hurry to get some posts made, but you can't go wrong here.

9.99$ - very fairly priced.