February 28, 2012 – Wine: Elegance in a bottle, 2007 Blend & 2006 Zin

My coworkers wanted to return to the same restaurant.  This time I opened two examples of an elegant wine, including a Zinfandel and a Bordeaux-style blend.

2007 Provenance Winemaker’s Reserve Blend

This wine starts with classic 2007 fruit flavors, most prominently blueberry, followed by black raspberry and a subtle mineral backbone.  The wine glides across the palette with very little edginess (or bite).  Drinking this wine was a unique experience as the intensity varied during the evening.  One moment the wine was soft and reserved, the next moment a little intensity revealed, then back into its shell.  There is still structure remaining, so I suspect this wine is shutting down (as many cabernets do about a year or two after release).  When I tasted this last July, the wine delivered more intensity consistently.

2006 Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel

I remember thinking this was going to be a lovely Zinfandel when I first tasted this at the winery.  This wine has developed in just the way that I like a Zinfandel to develop.  The nose is good, and the palette features red cherries, leather, and minerals, with a black pepper note.  The body of the wine is very elegant, gracing your tongue as it glides backwards, leaving a notable finish.  Tonight, this wine was my favorite, but again it was a close match.