Beringer Founders' Estate 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel

I haven't had anything by Beringer in quite a while but they have a very good reputation in my mind. We found this to be an easy drinking Zin. Not really a peppery Zin.

Tasting Notes from the winery: Historically, a vineyard like this often has multiple varieties mixed-in among the Zinfandel vines, so it seemed fitting that the wine be made in that traditional and crowd-pleasing ‘American-Zin’ style. The resulting wines showcases clove, white pepper and jammy black fruit aromas that lead into a mouth full of black berries and sweet spice.

Found this at Bruno's on sale for about $9.

Cave Des Papes Côtes du Rhône Héritage

Charlie Elmer brought this wine to our supper club. We were very surprised at how smooth and good this wine was. It made the Syrah we had been drinking just a tad bit harsh even though they where very good. This wine was was made from 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre. Charlie pointed out that wines with this mix of grapes are always good and smooth. This wine was in the $10-$13 range. Not sure of the vintage. I give it 3 stars. The description from the web site follows.

Ogier-Caves des Papes, *The Cellars of the Popes* was founded in 1859 and is the proprietor of the oldest and largest wine cellars in the ancient town of Chateauneuf du Pape (summer residence of Popes), in the heart of the Rhone Valley. For 140 years, the Caves des Papes name has symbolized the finest wines from the vast Rhone Valley.

Our red wines are concentrated, full-bodied and are based on the regions best grape varieties, Grenache and Syrah. Caves des Papes wines are recognized the world over and annually garner high acclaim for their exceptional quality.

To create “HERITAGE “ Côtes du Rhône, the Caves des Papes winemakers challenged the wine estates which were known to have produced the most consistent wines of high quality to surpass their previous best. The wines from 13 estates, the majority located in the area close to Chateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas, were selected as the finest expression of red wines from the Côtes du Rhône. Classic Rhone varietals, dominated by 65% Grenache, 35% Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvedre.

Aging 12 months in casks and tapered oak upright vats. Deep ruby color. Expressive, elegant nose with complex flavours of ripe fruit, spice, and a touch of oak. Attractive bouquet and soft tannins. Accompanies red meat, such as roast beef or steak but best with anything off the barbecue.

Napa Cellars Zinfandel 2005

I found this yesterday while picking up a few bottles at Village Wine Market. The winery is not one I'm familiar with but will remember it now! This wine struck me as un-Zin-like during the first glass. It had more of a syrah character - smooth and refined fruit. In later glasses more of the expected spice came out. It's a really good wine, easy to drink on its own and delicious with food (steak in our case).

The winery website sums it up well: "Napa Cellars Zinfandel is the perfect middle ground between the spicy Zinfandels of the Sierra Foothills and the fruity jammy Zinfandels of Sonoma. Both characteristics can be found in moderation with this wine. You can expect a swirl of the glass to reveal intense, sweet ripe berries, cinnamon and black pepper spice with elements of sun-baked earth."

$14.99 (sale price)