Estate Crush, Old Vine Zinfandel Wine Blogger Reserve 2013, Colarossi Family Vineyard, Lodi, California

Tasting Note: You can’t buy this bottle of zinfandel specially produced and released by Estate Crush to celebrate the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference conference held in Lodi, California – but you can do the second-best thing and visit their tasting room and sample the multitude of wines made by talented winemakers across the Lodi region.

Purple-to-ruby in color this aromatic wine has a nose of black plum, black cherry, raspberry, blackberry and red currant along with notes of smoky tobacco and vanilla baking spice.

On the palate the dry, full-bodied, zinfandel evokes a velvety mouthfeel with aromas on the nose continuing to the palate as flavors.

This wine abounds with ripe, juicy black and red fruit, medium-acidity, grippy tannin with faint notes of raisin on the finish.

In a way this zinfandel captures the spirit of the conference and the spirit of Lodi grape growers and winemakers – under the radar, bursting with energy and complexity, and showing more elegance with age.

Bottle Note: Created as part of a collaborative effort of wine bloggers, this zinfandel is from the Colarossi Family Vineyard (Stellina) and features peppercorn/clove spices and floral, red/blue fruit qualities with a distrinct sense of restraint and balance. Cheers from Lodi to you!