Ravenswood, Zinfandel Vintners Blend, Sonoma Valley

A mordern classic, soft and juicy and bursting with toasted oak, it as blackberries.

2001 vintage

Soft and juicy and bursting with oak and dark berry fruits , full bodies and charming.

2001 vintage

I'm blown away by this wine at 35yrs old. Purchased from Estate sale, this must have been stored properly from birth. Color is dark brick red, looks younger than I'd expect. Tertiary aromas dominate but all proper, no taint or vinegar. Dried, tart flavor profile but quite mouth watering. Very fun surprise when I was planning to dump it.

1985 vintage

Know right off the bat that I am not a huge Zin fan. But this one, at 17 years old, did nothing to change my mind. Lovely garnet color, cork showed only about 6 mm of dry, before saturation/coloration of wine is visible. I caught this just in time. Nose of wood, walnut, and stems, a bit of rhubarb. Taste peaked at 10 mins breathing, when the tannins were still detected. Generally, it just didn't offer much, although it was …

2001 vintage

Wow! What a nice surprise! I've had this bottle for 4 years now. Bought 2 at the time and when I opened the first one, it ended up in my pitcher as Sangria. I was. not. impressed. 4 years later? Great balance, dark fruits, smooth, spicy mid palate and a nice finish. I'm having a ball lately drinking these affordable wines that have sat in my cellar for years.

2008 vintage

Surprisingly raw for a 2008, but smooth enough with some dark berry flavor.

2008 vintage

Bright reddish-purple, just starting to cloud. Age on the nose with vinegar and sour fruit. Taste still has good zin fruits but finish showing too much age. Drinkable but a QPR well past its prime.

2001 vintage

This pours a dark, dark burgundy. Definitely a vegetal aroma on the nose, with some spice and dark fruit. The taste is sweeter than the nose would make you believe. A splash of sugar up front, with a smooth and mellow (though somewhat unremarkable) follow through. Almost no tannins. A light finish, and a pleasant sugary note in the aftertaste. Overall this is a really good value for a crowd-pleasin', easy-drinkin' wine.

2008 vintage

Dark fruits, chocolate. Full, round. Not complex but enjoyable.

2008 vintage

Gone bad

2001 vintage

Well past it's prime by 3 years. Going to buy aNd keep an eye on the drinking window.

2001 vintage

Great value at $8. Dark fruit, cherries, plums stand out. A little pepper on the finish. My new Zin house wine for cook outs.

2008 vintage

Really great value for this zin. Dark fruits, and plum with a nice pepper taste. A slight hint of florals and tobacco in the finish. Ready to drink now, but still has life to age if you like.

2008 vintage

Mittleres klares Kirschrot Gibt ein zur�ckhaltendes aber sehr feines Aroma in der Nase, dass durch rote und dunkler Beeren gepr�gt ist, etwas Waldboden und S�ssholz und W�rze mitbringt. Im Mund erzeugt der Wein einen guten K�rper, mit sehr weichen Tanninen und keiner auszunehmenden S�ure, der wie in der Nase von feinen Aromen gepr�gt ist, die jedoch mehr in Richtung dunkler Beeren und Kirsche gehen, wieder findet sich das S�ssholz und leicht blumige Noten und eine starke R�stige Komponente die an …

2008 vintage

Mittleres klares Kirschrot Gibt ein zurückhaltendes aber sehr feines Aroma in der Nase, dass durch rote und dunkler Beeren geprägt ist, etwas Waldboden und Süssholz und Würze mitbringt. Im Mund erzeugt der Wein einen guten Körper, mit sehr weichen Tanninen und keiner auszunehmenden Säure, der wie in der Nase von feinen Aromen geprägt ist, die jedoch mehr in Richtung dunkler Beeren und Kirsche gehen, wieder findet sich das Süssholz und leicht blumige Noten und eine starke Röstige Komponente die an …

2008 vintage

It has strong cherry smell with light pepper accent. Taste falls a bit flat after the initial peppery punch. I was a little disappointed in this year since the 2007 was a favorite for a loooong time.

2008 vintage

amazing for a house red - and a zin - under $10.

2008 vintage

Not very complex - but not bad by any means. A fairly mellow blend of earthiness and fruit, not very rich but not too sweet either. Strikes a good all-around balance. A soft, medium length finish with just a hint of spice. So, seems like my impressions are in agreement with most of the other reviews on this page.

2008 vintage

Another wine very good a year past the drinking range. Pleasant after taste but not to heavy.

2005 vintage

I think we waited too long to drink this. It had been sitting in the wine cellar years, wanted to clear it out to make room for the good stuff.

2005 vintage

Mostly smooth with lots of cherrys. Maybe the Vitners's Blend is not as bold as a straight Zin? Still, started to get a bit smoother after letting it breath for awhile. Maybe not the best zin, but really good for around $10.

2008 vintage

well past it's prime (as expected). Some fruit left, started and remained hot after 3 hours in decanter

2001 vintage

Popped and poured with the result being the wine was very closed and tight. We let it sit for an hour and the fruit started to show through. Clear earthiness and vines. That part shows the terroir well, but would have liked a little more fruit to balance out the sense of place from pre-Prohibition vines.

2008 vintage

Better than I expected from a $6 zin... v. pleasant, no jamminess going on; good party wine at a party where I'm drinking beer...

2008 vintage

Slightly spicy, dark fruits, initially tart, warm finish

2008 vintage

Good purple red color Nice plums/violets on the nose. Some caramel too (very subtile) Tannins are present but round Spicy finish Medium body but great QPR

2008 vintage

Trevlig och prisvärd Zinfandel med en frisk körsbärston och balanserade tanniner. Lite "snällare" än många andra Z.

2008 vintage

Trevlig och prisv�rd Zinfandel med en frisk k�rsb�rston och balanserade tanniner. Lite "sn�llare" �n m�nga andra Z.

2008 vintage

Waiting 1.5 hours going to taste after 30 mins

2008 vintage

A good standard Zin. Was great with spicy spare ribs.

2008 vintage

Bland and flavorless

2005 vintage

High end of the "good" range for this one, and it's consistently So. Ravenswood is a large enough producer that they go for a certain consistency with their store-available wines. The fruit is not overpowering, but it holds up to most anything you serve with it, unless it's sweet or spicey. So anywhere you'd use a red, this is a good back-up.

2008 vintage

For a drinkable wine right off the shelf, this one has plenty of fruit and a pleasant, if not a little thin finish.

2008 vintage

No special scent on the nose, quite weak here. Simple and straight, no complexity to mention. Sweet taste of raspberry/blueberry jam. Medium body and short aftertaste. No sure if I will buy again, can getter better experience at this pricepoint. Decanted 1.5 hrs.

2008 vintage

Weak nose. Medium mouthfeel. Buttery sweet, subtle tannin.

2008 vintage

I agree with the other posts. This is certainly enjoyable, but nothing special. Buy it if you want an accessible new world Zin. If you are looking for something with more complexity in an old-world style, spend a few more $ for something with more depth and less overt fruitiness.

2008 vintage

Decent basic Zin

2008 vintage

Agree with most of the other posts I've read on this wine so far. Very good at its price point. Not overly complex but definitely drinks well now and would be worth buying and drinking again in the future.

2008 vintage

An easily accessible everyday table red, very well made, and an excellent value at the price point. A clear ruby red, it opens with a fruity nose, then progresses to well-balanced tannin and acid. At 13.5%, it seems to be more of a medium body red than more complex cabs. It is made in the early-drinking style, and would not benefit from a longer hold.

2008 vintage

only my second ever Zin so not much to compare with, but for the remarkably low price it was extremely drinkable

2005 vintage

A little sweet with no bite: probably aged a bit too much. But nicely spiced and certainly drinkable.

2001 vintage

Nice ruby red, with purple rim. Young in colour, very consistent and crystalline. Intense-, complex and fine at nose: Fruity (blackcurrant)sweet spices (vanilla) a bit of wild and dust when opening. Mostly wood after 1 day. Dry, alcoholic and rounded. Acidic -, tannic and low minerals. Good body and tannins amalgamated, well balanced, but a bit of acidity is lacking, especially after 1 day. Nice fruit at taste, a bit weak at nose. Wood becoming overwhelming the second day.

2005 vintage

Medium body, nice dark fruit. Paired well with pasta and a spicy vodka sauce.

2005 vintage

Gros californien très peu subtil et tout d'une pièce. Pas vraiment intéressant mais juste correct.

2005 vintage

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2005 vintage

Really liked this wine, just my type. Went well with grilled chicken and a quinoa salad. Think this will be my barbeque wine next season.

2005 vintage

Ok wine, but way too much fruit and fruit-juice qualities.

2005 vintage

Simple, plain, yet bold zin. Went really well as an after dinner wine after we were done with a spicy paella.

2005 vintage

Not much to say, just a good wine. Good fruit and not much else. There were some biter oak tannins that started to show after the organic (not nice organic) burned off.

2005 vintage

Trouble with Ravenswood is, if you don't take careful note of the label, you will never know which of the three million possible products it might have been. I had had a very personable one previously. This one purchased from TJ's on sale was probably not it. Not that it was bad per se; it just wasn't fabulously interesting. Even for the on-sale price of $6.99 there were probably several other wines that would exceed this one. And, having said …

2005 vintage

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Ravenswood, Zinfandel Vintners Blend, Sonoma Valley

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