Rombauer Vineyards, Zinfandel, Fiddletown

This is one of the quintessential California fruity, jammy Zins and even though we drank it well beyond its stated window, it delivered on its specification. It was quite enjoyable with a hearty stew at dinner this evening.

2002 vintage

Very fruity for a 14 year old wine. Soft tannins and smooth mouth feel.

2002 vintage

Fruit heavy, slightly past it's time (slight mold notes)

2002 vintage

Rombauer used to make awesome zins in the early 90's. Now they re over ripe and over extracted. The once present black pepper is no where to be found. It is a fruit bomb verging on a dessert wine. Some love this newer style zin. Not me. I pine for the glory days when they were spicy, not too fruity and complex as hell. Bring back my favorite grape. It's not expressed in this bottle.

2004 vintage

A l;ittle less bold than other vintages.

2004 vintage

Not bad - too sweet for a zin

2004 vintage

perfect Zin flavor, pepper, thick cherry,smooth like silk, nice finish, elegant bottle of wine, a bit sweet, but not over the top dessert wine sweetness

2004 vintage

This is not your typical zinfandel. It has more sweetness and less spice than you would expect. It is almost port like at first. Lots of vanilla. Smooth drink after you get used to it.

2002 vintage

Big, sweet mess that tasted cheap and disjointed. Not sure if it was because we drank it way too late or it just wasn't good (I have no other experience with Rombauer Zins), but it was basically terrible.

2002 vintage

If fruit is what you are looking for, than this is for you.

2004 vintage

A very sweet and jammy wine. Not my style or preference.

2002 vintage

Others may have better, its just not wine. Just a complete mess.

2004 vintage

fruit bomb w a fizz, hard for me to describe since it doesn't taste like anyother Zin I've had-others described it more like a sweet cocktail, I agree

2004 vintage

ok, probably past its prime

2002 vintage

I think I may have waited too long to drink. As time went on the second and third glass seemed to get much better.

2002 vintage

Fruit jam! This wine is like dessert in a bottle.

2004 vintage

I've concluded this wine is only good for cooking. Way too cloyingly sweet.

2004 vintage

Fruit just hits you in the face. Port like style wine almost late harvest.

2004 vintage

plitton nailed it, this to me is not wine. This is not for those who like fruit bombs, and this is not for those who enjoy "new world" style wines. Rather, this is for those who want something besides wine - perhaps, a cocktail of Hawaiian Punch mixed with cough syrup and/or Jaigermeister. This is junk and was poured down the drain - my 70 is generous.

2004 vintage

Reduce 1.5 L of Welches grape juice to half the volume. Ferment. Voila, Rombauer Zin! This is just aweful and a complete waste of money no matter the price. How did this ever make it to a fine retail store?

2004 vintage

A yeasty nose, at least in the beginning. Decanted for 2 hours. Nice fruit, peppery. A good nose with a nice follow-up. Much better than we expected.

2002 vintage

lots of fruit. everyone really enjoyed

2004 vintage

Totally out of balance. First it was sickly sweet like syrup. Next, it was sharply acidic. Finally, it had no structure. It just didn't work.

2004 vintage

Needs to melow out - - Good for after dinner, too muc like a zin port.

2004 vintage

So sweet it was almost undrinkable

2004 vintage

Had it for dessert with Monika, Snorri and Karl. Like raspberry and cassis candy. Didn't like it as much as the first time.

2004 vintage

Drank at Venezias with blackened redfish. The food did not help the wine. Very, very sweet for a zinfandel. Not my style of zin; ordered this because we had never tried it and they were out of Turley Rattlesnake.

2004 vintage

drank at La Tuna Grill with David and Ellen. I really like this wine - strong blackberry and pepper

2002 vintage

An unexpected night of Zinfandel and finance talk with Brian. Gentle perfumey nose (incense? myrrh?) leads to a massive fruit bomb of raisin and ripe blackberry. Extraordinarily sweet and sticky, like a Banyuls without the earthiness. This hits just one note (sweet fruit) but hits it extremely well. We ended up drinking the whole bottle.

2004 vintage

huge raspberry aroma, almost overpowering

2004 vintage

I have been a big fan of the 2003, and wasn't too happy with my first bottle of the 2004, but I had another one. This is just good wine. If you like Zin, a little on the sweet and fruit heavy side, buy this.

2004 vintage

I bought the 2004 after an unsuccessful expedition to find a couple bottles of the 2003. It was an excellent Zin, lots of fruit, very nice to drink. A little less fruit was evident when compared to the 2003. I will buy this again.

2004 vintage

Overall impressions: a B-/B Zinfandel. This is definitely a step-up from most sub $20 bottles. Not a great food wine due to the overall "sweetness" of this wine. We tried pairing with homemade spaghetti and meatballs and it didn't work at all (maybe with grilled beef?). However, an easy drinking wine that could be opened for video rental and desert. The color is a clear, bright, raspberry red. The nose straight out of the bottle is a bit alcoholic (like …

2002 vintage

Drank better the second day. 84 1st Day, 88 2nd Day.

2002 vintage

Aromas of black pepper, berries and cocoa. Hits the tongue as surprisingly sweet. Taste of cassis and spicy dark cherries. Soft tannins with not much acid. Long finish.

2002 vintage

Jammy on the nose. Sweet at the beginning, spicy in the middle, and topped off with just the right amount of tannins to make a velvety finish! A+++

2002 vintage

Village Wine Cellars tasting 11/19/05 bought 1 bottle mix of El Dorado County, Amador County and Lake County lush, aromatic medley of ripe blackberries, boysenberries and rasberries - berry and currant - earthy $27.99

2002 vintage

October Austin Wine Tasting (Mirabelle Restaurant) : I really don't like Zinfandel. Too grapey, too pruney, too raisiny. I get no nuances. High in alcohol, but not hot. Zin isn't for me.

2002 vintage

Very fruity.

2002 vintage

Very, very sweet. Even for a zin. If you are going to drink it, I would recommend starting off with this wine and then moving to something else. If you don't like sweet, stay away!

2002 vintage

Great Zinfandel but this bottle wasn' as good as the last.

2002 vintage

Dark ruby red color. Strong berry nose at first followed by leather and a but of spice. Tasted the same way. Fruit followed by spice. A nice big wine.

2002 vintage

WIML85,NOWA,NOWS Tasted September 14, 2005 at an offline at a restaurant so brief comments only. Opened and served immediately in Spiegelau Authenthis Magnum glasses. This is the basic, entry level Zinfandel from this winery. Dusty rose in color. Subdued nose which with a little coaxing gives us some sandlewood and briar patch. Sweet cherry flavors coupled with some raspberry and spicy pepper. Drink over the short term. OK on the QPR scale but not recommended overall from a personal palate …

2002 vintage

Too sweet! Would have been better with dessert, instead of pizza.

2002 vintage

A great Zinfandel!

2002 vintage

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Rombauer Vineyards, Zinfandel, Fiddletown

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