Robert Biale, Zinfandel Monte Rosso, Sonoma County

Dark concentrated blue and black fruits at the forefront, mid palate brings in graphite and dried savory herbs, and a lip smacking juicy sweet/tart finish. Gulpable.

15.8% abv. First planted in the 1800's, the vineyard above the Sonoma Valley was named by Louis M. Martini for its reddish rocky soil. Label mentions "coveted grapes" producing some of the "longest-lived wines" of the region. 550 cases made. Viscous, opaque, and darkly colored wine. Dark berries and leathery notes coat the palate. It tastes mature but not necessarily on the downslope. It doesn't hit me with as much alcoholic heat as you might expect from the alcohol percentage. …

Wonderful bright acidity with balanced tannins and alcohol. Brambly fruit on the palate and went surprisingly well with a pasta and meat sauce. Got even better as the night went on after dinner.

With a little age on this bottle, it has evolved into a rather refined version of a zin. The alcohol is pretty well integrated and the flavors linger. Very nice with bratwurst .

lovely full, spicy zin. nice balance. Definitely not "over the top", so a wonderful dinner companion. YFS ****

w knockwurst sausage and sauerkraut. Nice dark color, nose was non-existent. on palate very elegant zin, dark berry fruit, not too much spice/pepper. finish had some length. good wine but indeed probably overpriced.

Very impressive fruit, racy and sharp. Delicious but a bit one-dimensional. Very nice but overpriced.

Very tasty zin. No details as we drank this 5 days ago.

Nice black fruit - sweet spicy blackberries and dark earth on the nose with a whiff of alcohol. Nice sweet mid palate - not overly complex, but nice and smooth and consistent all the way through to a long finish.

We had this with Moussaka on 3/2/09. It decanted almost 2 hours and had a fabulous bouquet of barnyard, loam, blackberry, raspberry, pepper and cardamom aromas. On the palate, it was a little tannic, sour and VERY SPICY with flavors that matched the nose. It also had a little heat on the backend and an incredible 75 second finish. I liked it a lot, but thought it needed more time. 89+

Excellent Zin a little high priced maybe but still great. Upfront berry fruits with a nice full body and good balance. The tannins would come forward every now and then but they weren't to overpowering. A little more time will probably even them out nicely.