Dashe Cellars Zinfandel Les Enfants Terribles McFadden Farm

More restrained and less out there than when released a lovely light to middleweight with a perfumed nose. B/B+

2007 vintage

impressive, unique and hard to recognize as zin. Lighter color and weight than other zins, cherry-fresh raspberry.

2007 vintage

A lovely, elegant, balanced wine that kept changing throughout the night; with notes of fig, prunes, violets, tar, mint, and spices, red fruit, black fruit and always with an interesting and enticing extra organic quality to it.

2007 vintage

I wasn't all that impressed with my first two bottles of this but time has certainly been good. Finally all integrated into a zin of a different color. Elegant really, with zin fruit and tart cherry gamay-like flavors co-mingling. Plenty of minerality at the core of this very restrained, completely devourable zin.

2007 vintage

This has improved over the last year or two. I brown-bagged this bottle and took it to a dinner, which was really fun because the consensus at the table was that this was either some sort of gamay or a RRV pinot noir. 91 because this is a fun bottle for showing people how varied varietals can be when you change the terroir and the yeast. I wouldn't sit on it much longer.

2007 vintage

I agree with pretty much all the notes below. I happened to really like it.

2007 vintage

This is very interesting. cloudy light purple in the glass. The unfiltered and unfined qualities are there from the start. It has the not so gentle nose of cheap beajolais nouveau - high alcohol and mid-fermented grape juice. Luckily my cold is reducing the attack on the nose to a bare minimum. Before it (my nose) shut down completely, I did catch some pruney tunes though. Not as bad as antiicpated on the palate, though it is spikey in pretty …

2007 vintage

I only had half of a glass of this, but it didn't disappoint! This seems to be aging like a cru Beaujolais (with a bit higher ABV). The glossy red fruit is just beginning to fade, to a bit more mineral and spice. But lovely, nonetheless. One of my favorite Zins of all time!

2007 vintage

Still a bit oddly disjointed. Plenty of zin in gamay-clothing flavors but it's spiky hot and doesn't really flow too well.

2007 vintage

Cherry, a little rubber in the aroma. Cherry, licorice and some peppermint on the palate. This is one of the few zinfandels I've had in the past 10 years that was drinkable. It doesn't quite match my (faint) memories of the zins I loved in the 70's and 80's (it's lacking some of that "bramble" quality), but it's close enough.

2007 vintage

This was a very interesting wine. Almost had hints of pinot in it, rather than Zinfandel. Enjoyed it, although K did less so. Second day had even more cherry than first. Didn't have with food.

2007 vintage

Cloudy, quite Old World in style. The first glass had quite a bit of "barnyard" on the nose. I like that this shows a totally different take on Zinfandel, but I wasn't as impressed with the wine itself as I seem to have been in previous tastings. I have another bottle, so I'll sit on it for 3-5 years and see what this does. It got better as the night went on, so I think this has room to grow.

2007 vintage

Interesting - very Burgundian, seemingly gamay or even an odd pinot noir. Never would have pegged this as CA Zin, and that's OK. Light, cloudy, super raspberry fruit on a taut frame that leans toward the acidic, which works for me. Love to see what this is like over time, glad I have another couple bottles.

2007 vintage

Very interesting. Cloudy and red, reminded me in many ways of the Coturri Bros wines which are also made in a style of minimal intervention. Was light and fluid vs big and alcoholic. INteresting and unique zin. Struck me as potentially becoming quite burgundian. Was a bit direct/primary - but its young and looking forward to seeing what happens.

2007 vintage

Had a glass at Slanted Door, felt compelled to pick up a bottle or two. I love Zinfandel, and this was a totally new angle on it. Old World style, quite refined. Really does grow on you throughout the glass. Would be a 91, but earns an extra point for showing a new side of Zinfandel.

2007 vintage

This wine is improving in the bottle quickly. This is the 4th time i have tasted it and it was good younger, and I assumed that it would be a wine to drink young, however it is starting to gain complexity and depth in the bottle. I am now wondering if this unique Zin will become burgundian in 2-4 years.. i need a few more bottles to test the aging curve of this cool wine

2007 vintage

Translucent gamay coloring leads to fairly lively aromatics and bright red flavors. It was a bit on the hot and disjointed side for the first hour but settled down to show good balance and a flinty core. A very different (and interesting) style of zin. Glad I bought more.

2007 vintage

Binny's HP California Wine Night w/ Jill (Binny's Highland Park) : Binny's HP California Wine Night w/ Jill.

2007 vintage

Bordeaux, CA Pinot and Couple of Others (PDH, New York City) : This was served blind and that's always fun. No one had a confident guess as to what it could be. When it was revealed, we were all shocked it was a zin. Nothing at all like the CA Zin I know and love. Jay says this is organic and done in "fudra" (sp?). May I humbly suggest Dashe go back to regular sized young oaky barrels?! Not for …

2007 vintage

My wine, so no guesses. Others were thinking PN, shock reigned when I said Zinfandel. Very popular , though. Good acidity, bright red fruit with a healthy dose of spices, lively. Good length, a bit of a flinty note, fresh. I like this a lot. B+/A-

2007 vintage

Cloudy unfiltered strawberry color. Sweet aromatics but served at cellar temp which knocked down some of the potential nose. Thick and viscous. Initially somewhat hot tasting. More bitter than acidic. Ripe, sweet, bubblegum strawberry, cherry and raspberry flavors but lacking an acidic backbone to pull it together. Muddled, not a clean taste. This wine is not to be compared to Pacalet's efforts - it is definitely Dashe. Interesting but won't buy again.

2007 vintage

97 Voge Vielles Fontaines, 01 Texier Brezeme Vielles Vignes, Dashe, 02 Huet (Oakland, CA) : Stuart loves this wine and has been drinking quite a bit at Slanted Door...it's a fun wine. Picked a little earlier than normal, no sulfur and aged in large oak casks. It's definitely a fun wine with somewhat simple grapey flavors but also has nice acidity, chocolate, pepper, and creamy blackberries. Not sure how this will age but a fun drink of wine now. It …

2007 vintage

Sandy Crozier's Birthday Wine Dinner (Sandy's house in San Jose, CA) : Beaujolais nose; soft, tart cherry palate; medium finish

2007 vintage

Family Winemakers San Francisco; 8/24/2008-8/25/2008 (Fort Mason, San Francisco) : Tasty charcoal and black fruit palate

2007 vintage

Quick note from a small pour- Very ferm-y, with super primary, borderline nouveau notes- bubble-gum, bright raspberry and cherry. The mouth is bright and alive with a very snappy character. The flavor pick up a bit of spice- roots, herbs, etc.. The mouth offers more complexity at this time and less of the ferm-y character. The finish seems a bit marred by oak, which is confusing as I would not expect this to see any? Maybe a new foudre? Cool …

2007 vintage

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Dashe Cellars Zinfandel Les Enfants Terribles McFadden Farm

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