Zinfandel Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner - Hearty Zinfandel America's Varietal for the American Holiday
We hosted Thanksgiving dinner for seventeen members of the extended family. Ryan brought a flight of white wines and I pulled a couple of hearty Zinfandels - America's Varietal for the American Holiday. I selected three zins from three classic Zinfandel producers - Lamborn, Ridge and Biale.
The whites are profiled below .. . here are the Reds ...
In the evening, Jared G stopped by and we opened some special wines to cap off the holiday.
Lamborn Family Vineyards is a small boutique family operation focusing on distinctive terroir handcrafted Estate Cabernets and Zinfandel from their vineyards high up Howell Mountain. We visited the wonderful and hospitable Mike and Terry Lamborn (shown right) at their estate high atop Howell Mountain during our Napa Valley Howell Mountain Wine Experience 2008.
Lamborn have the legendary wine maker Heidi Barrett to craft their wines. She joined Lamborn in 1996, while Terry and Mike, and now his sons, focus on the business and tending their 4 acre Zinfandel and 4 acre Cabernet vineyards. Lamborn is unique in being the first to have Heidi craft Zinfandel varietal wines for them.
Lamborn Family Vineyards Zinfandel The Team Connection 1997
This may be the first Zinfandel to be crafted by Heidi Barrett. We've enjoyed more than a half dozen vintages of Lamborn Zinfandels and hold as many of their spectacular Cabernets.
We found this 1997 Zin languishing in the cellar. At nineteen years of age, it was time to drink as it is reaching the end of its drinking window.
The rich dark concentrated Howell Mtn fruit has given way to non-fruit flavors as the ripe brambly black cherry and black raspberry fruits have been overtaken by black pepper, spice and tones of creosote and hints of licorice predominating.
RM 87 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=25065
https://www.lamborn.com/
Ridge Lytton Springs 2011
Ridge are a tale of two cities, or counties ... they actually produce two dozen labels including many vineyard designated wines from no less than a dozen vineyards. They have the historic Ridge Monte Bello Estate high above Cuperino and Silicon Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where they produce the legendary Monte Bello Cabernet blend. And they have the Lytton Springs site up in Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley where they produce a range of two dozen varietal wines. But Ridge are most notably known for their range of vineyard designated select Zinfandels.
Since 1972, Ridge have produced this Lytton Springs label from vines planted back at the turn of the last century, blended with fruit from vines from the early 1990s. The vineyard is planted to zinfandel and its principal complementary varietals. This Lytton Springs Zinfandel blend continually receives high marks and accolades and is a must have for every cellar to have around for BBQ, and in this case, Thanksgiving turkey dinner.
This is actually a blend of 82% Zinfandel, 16% Petite Sirah, and 2% Carignane.
This is full bodied, dark garnet with brambly black raspberry, black cherry and currant fruits accented by tones of cassis, black olive and hints of toasted oak and graphite with gripping acidity and well coated tannins on the finish. The non-fruit flavors tend to detract from this on the finish.
RM 89 points.
This was rated 93 and 91 by leading reviewers, who cited it may need a few more years to settle and come together.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1588534
https://www.ridgewine.com/
I pulled two vintages of the Robert Biale Black Chicken Zinfandel to compare but with the white wine focused crowd we put them away for another day.
Thanksgiving whites ....
Ryan brought this flight of assorted white wines for our Thanksgiving dinner feast, several light easy casual sipping whites in different styles, a sparkler, a dry and a sweet Riesling.
Segura Viudas Cava Brut NV
There
is always room for bubbly - especially preceding a big meal. Sparkling
wine is produced around the world in all major wine growing regions. Of
course, only Champagne region in France produces true Champagne. Other
areas simply produce sparkling wine, some in the Methode Champagnaise
style and process methode, such as this one from Spain.
True Champagne is a blend of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay grape varietals. This is a blend of Spanish varietals Macabeo-Xarel-lo-Parellada.
Served from a magnum.
Light straw colored, light medium bodied, tangy crisp clean tones of grapefruit citrus and hints of lemon with green apple and toast with tangy short slightly acidic finish.
RM 88 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=1688853
Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Dry Riesling 2015
Brian brought two Rieslings, one in a sweet style and this dry one from New Zealand.
Light straw colored, light bodied, crisp clean slightly tart subdued hints of grapefruit citrus, quince and whisper of lime with chalky minerality.
RM 88 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2304771
Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese feinherb
This German white wine is from the Mosel Ruer Saar river valley. German Riesling wines are selectively and specifically labeled according to their style - from dry to sweet - Kabinet, Riesling, Spatlese and Auslese. Spat is the German word for 'late', as in late picking of the grapes, hence 'spatlese' or late lying on the wines, wherein they'll pick up more residual ripeness or sweetness, hence sweeter style of wine.
We toured the Mosel Ruuer Saar River Valley during our wine country trip there back in the mid-eighties.
Straw colored, medium bodied, light grapefruit citrus highlights the thick slightly tart pear and subtle peach tones with a layer of wet stone, the acidity is a slight bit soapy that takes away from its crisp clarity.
RM 88 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2429972
We hosted Thanksgiving dinner for seventeen members of the extended family. Ryan brought a flight of white wines and I pulled a couple of hearty Zinfandels - America's Varietal for the American Holiday. I selected three zins from three classic Zinfandel producers - Lamborn, Ridge and Biale.
The whites are profiled below .. . here are the Reds ...
In the evening, Jared G stopped by and we opened some special wines to cap off the holiday.
 |
| Andy, Jan & Bill and Linda with Mike and Terry Lamborn |
Lamborn have the legendary wine maker Heidi Barrett to craft their wines. She joined Lamborn in 1996, while Terry and Mike, and now his sons, focus on the business and tending their 4 acre Zinfandel and 4 acre Cabernet vineyards. Lamborn is unique in being the first to have Heidi craft Zinfandel varietal wines for them.
This may be the first Zinfandel to be crafted by Heidi Barrett. We've enjoyed more than a half dozen vintages of Lamborn Zinfandels and hold as many of their spectacular Cabernets.
We found this 1997 Zin languishing in the cellar. At nineteen years of age, it was time to drink as it is reaching the end of its drinking window.
The rich dark concentrated Howell Mtn fruit has given way to non-fruit flavors as the ripe brambly black cherry and black raspberry fruits have been overtaken by black pepper, spice and tones of creosote and hints of licorice predominating.
RM 87 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=25065
https://www.lamborn.com/
Ridge Lytton Springs 2011
Since 1972, Ridge have produced this Lytton Springs label from vines planted back at the turn of the last century, blended with fruit from vines from the early 1990s. The vineyard is planted to zinfandel and its principal complementary varietals. This Lytton Springs Zinfandel blend continually receives high marks and accolades and is a must have for every cellar to have around for BBQ, and in this case, Thanksgiving turkey dinner.
This is actually a blend of 82% Zinfandel, 16% Petite Sirah, and 2% Carignane.
This is full bodied, dark garnet with brambly black raspberry, black cherry and currant fruits accented by tones of cassis, black olive and hints of toasted oak and graphite with gripping acidity and well coated tannins on the finish. The non-fruit flavors tend to detract from this on the finish.
RM 89 points.
This was rated 93 and 91 by leading reviewers, who cited it may need a few more years to settle and come together.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1588534
https://www.ridgewine.com/
I pulled two vintages of the Robert Biale Black Chicken Zinfandel to compare but with the white wine focused crowd we put them away for another day.
Ryan brought this flight of assorted white wines for our Thanksgiving dinner feast, several light easy casual sipping whites in different styles, a sparkler, a dry and a sweet Riesling.
Segura Viudas Cava Brut NV
True Champagne is a blend of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay grape varietals. This is a blend of Spanish varietals Macabeo-Xarel-lo-Parellada.
Served from a magnum.
Light straw colored, light medium bodied, tangy crisp clean tones of grapefruit citrus and hints of lemon with green apple and toast with tangy short slightly acidic finish.
RM 88 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=1688853
Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Dry Riesling 2015
Light straw colored, light bodied, crisp clean slightly tart subdued hints of grapefruit citrus, quince and whisper of lime with chalky minerality.
RM 88 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2304771
Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese feinherb
We toured the Mosel Ruuer Saar River Valley during our wine country trip there back in the mid-eighties.
Straw colored, medium bodied, light grapefruit citrus highlights the thick slightly tart pear and subtle peach tones with a layer of wet stone, the acidity is a slight bit soapy that takes away from its crisp clarity.
RM 88 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2429972
