Big House Wine Company Big House Wine Company Zinfandel Cardinal Zin Beastly Old Vines, USA, California

For what I was expecting this did not deliver. Medium bodied and light in color for a zin. Little in the way of any varietal character. Thin flavors and really dry tannins. Drinkable but not incredible. ($16)

A little closed on the nose, but berries and enough acidity, structure and tartness to be interesting on the palate.

No where NEAR as good as the Bonny Doon Cardinal Zin used to be. It's like soda pop wine now.

I had this at a wine tasting, and I seemed to be the only one who liked it, so I picked up a bottle to see if I'm on crack. The verdict: I'm not. This is a delicious, easy-drinking zin done in a very light and restrained style. The nose has mint chocolate, cedar and ripe red cherries. The light-medium body holds lots of red fruit and a light earthiness, with light tannins that don't get in the way, and …

Stimmel's Market: Zinfandel (Bowling Green, OH) : Fairly light color. Lit cigarette nose. Whoa, weird! The texture is very interesting - it might just be the lively acidity, but it seems like there's a light effervescence dancing on my tongue. Light tannin, lots of acid. Some earthy barnyard and chocolate. Reminds me a little of a merlot. Bright red fruit, juicy. Bought a bottle to see if it's still the same way later. Good QPR @ $17

Good nose, and interesting taste, but too acidic and rather thin bodied. There's an interesting flavor I can't quite place, but overall I'm not too impressed. Quite drinkable overall, especially with food due to the acidity, but probably best paired with something not too flavorful or spicy. I could see enjoying this wine a lot with pasta. On its own, it's just a bit dull, and a bit too tart. I got this wine for $16 so the QPR isn't …

It is great to find a California Zin that isn't over-the-top with sweetness and that has nuances. This wine has structure and tannin, good fruit and dryness. For the money, the best Zin I have had.

Nice zin, but nothing special... there are better for the price.

A bit drier than I like my Zins but well balanced. Not much on the finish but did open up after a few hours.,

Of course you have the clever name, but the brilliant label design is an even bigger draw. This graces the shelves of TJ's but I don't think we have tried it previously, though Dulcie swears we pushed the boat out once for one of our arboreal fests. A previous taster gives it the two thumbs down. I would not be so negative; we found it quite good, but not memorable when compared with many others on offer. There again, the …

Rich and spicy, well balanced mix of blackberries and cherries, slightly tannic, oaky and peppery. Went extremely well with grilled salmon (presoaked in the souse consisting of lemons, honey, thyme, pepper and sesame seeds). It would be a sin not to buy more of this Zin.

Very tart; not mature enough; almost undrinkable