Fife
Zinfandel
Whaler Vineyard
Mendocino
2001
14.2%
About $13 (on sale) – Weaver St. Market, Chapel Hill, NC
Color: Medium-dark strawberry with peachy colors at the edges
Nose: Spicy fruit, then smoky, of all things, but then hot
Body: Not dense but not light
Front: Blueberry
Middle: A little cream, a little smoke and spice, sometimes coffeeish
Back: A little hot, but then a nice compote aftertaste, actually, because of the hotness, almost like a cognac.
Burns clean?: No
Cap: Cork
A more elegant Zin than usual at this price. At times it’s almost like a Pinot Noir. This vintage I think is at or just slightly past its peak. I say that because it’s not evolving much as it stays open and because of the quite long structural unfolding.
