See pictures of past Wizard events by clicking below:

• Wine Wizard's 2009 Picnic
• June Wine Dinner at Barcelona
• May 2009 Wine Dinner at 'Spagone'
• 2008 Wine Dinner at the 'Catch'
• Wine Wizard's 2008 Picnic
• May 2008 Wine Dinner at 'Spagone'
• Fall Wine Dinner at 'The Catch'
• Wine Dinner at Barcelona, New Haven
• Tour and tasting at DiGrazia Vineyards
• Wine Wizard's 2007 Picnic

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Click the year to view a table of all wines tasted:     2008     2009

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September, 2009

For the month of September we tasted Red Zinfandels. The first session had a clear winner. 7 Deadly Zins 2007 garnered 24 points. The Phillips brothers blended the grapes of 7 Lodi, CA vineyards. Their Catholic upbringing recalled the 7 deadly sins and thus the unusual name. Their poem expresses this:

"Schulenburg’s vines, grubby with GREED,

Embrace Lodi’s soil, to drink and to feed.

Oh Lord, forgive me my zin.

Secure in it’s strength, weathered with Pride,

Standing like soldiers, the forest of Snyde

Oh Lord, forgive me my zin.

Hearts filled with Lust, ole Maley’s trees.

Court Lodi’s sun, and flirt with its breeze.

Oh Lord, forgive me my zin.

Good Bishofberger did raise some GLUTTONOUS beast,

Vines fattened like turkeys before Thanksgiving feast.

Oh Lord, forgive me my zin.

With the tilt of the glass, I commit seven zins,

Oh Lord, with your help… I’ll do it again.

Indulge"

Notes of sweet plums and pepper dominate the nose while flavors of blueberry, raspberry, cinnamon and black pepper pack the palate. Wine Magazine named it a Best Value and the Best of the Best California Zinfandels. Unfortunately, it broke the bank as our most expensive wine at $19.07 with 14.5% alcohol. The second place was Barefoot 2007 from Lodi, CA with 17 points. Full-bodied with flavors of ripe cherries and wild raspberries it is well-balanced with a deep fruit-filled aroma and a subtly spicy, long-lasting finish. It confirmed our expertise in selecting “value priced wines” as it cost $11.65 for 1.5 liters which equals $5.82 with 13.5% alcohol. Our third choice was Ravenswood 2007 with a rather distant 5 points. It is a Vintners Blend and is designed to be enjoyed as a decent inexpensive wine. It cost $10.59 with 13.5% alcohol. In last place with a relatively rare 0 points was Plungerhead Dry Creek 2005. Robert Parker, Wine Spectator head guru, called it “a sensational value”. His description was “the nose reminds one of caramelized oak, chocolate covered strawberries and savory sage. The mouth feel is soft but the flavors are vibrant with notes of cassis, vanilla rum, pecan pie and black cherries with a warm, lingering finish”. Needless to say, his reputation was greatly diminished in our minds. It cost $ 15.89 with 14.9% alcohol. Our host, Mark Lehmann, provided a bonus bottle from his cellar which was excellent but faded from our enthusiasm when it cost over $30 a bottle.

Our second session continued our exploration of the Red Zinfandels. The voting was closer with a smaller group of only seven tasters. The winner was Dancing Bull 2007 with 14 points. Lodi, CA offers the ideal climate benefiting from the distinctive Bay and Delta breezes that cool the region’s afternoons. They produce ripe full-flavored fruit with soft tannins. It costs $9.53 with 13.9% alcohol. A close second was McIroy 2007 from Sonoma, CA with 12 points. They are from 17 generations of a Scottish-Irish family from Ankim County, Ireland. The original vines are over 80 years old and produce extraordinary fruit. Their 2000 was Grand Champion of the Pacific Rim International Wine Competition beating out 2,175 other wines. It costs $12.71 with a whopping 15.2% alcohol. In third place was Redwood Creek 2007 with 6 points. It is from the Frei Bros. vineyards in Lodi, CA founded in 1890. It has flavors of ripe cherry and wild raspberry with aromas of vanilla and spice complimented by a long lingering finish. It was the “value priced winner” at $11.65 for a 1.5 liter which equals $5.82 with 13.5% alcohol. In last place was Cline 2007 with another 0 points. It comes from a distinguished winery in Sonoma, CA on 80 to 100 year old vines but failed to gather any support. It pleased us all to find out that it costs $16.95 with 14.5% alcohol. I brought a BONUS bottle which was not in the judging but was decided to be equal to our higher choices. It was Vendange 2005 from Woodbridge, CA. It tastes of raspberry with pepper and spice notes. Purchased in NH it costs $7.99 with NO tax for 1.5 liters equaling $3.99 and thus our “best value priced selection”.

We lingered for a considerable time as with two 1.5 liter bottles and three others we had the equivalent of 7 bottles of wine for seven tasters.