St. Francis, Old Vines Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley

Waited too long

1999 vintage

Good Full bodied wine.

2009 vintage

Bottle 1 took about an hour to open up and presented dark fruit with a smooth spice finish. Bottle 2 was more fruit forward with notes of raspberry, smoke and a long finish.

2009 vintage

Surprisingly dark in color and very much alive. Notes of prunes and blue fruit as well as BBQ carmelization. Gave this s short decant and while the aromatics were a bit subdued the flavor was good and held a surprising amount of grip. A nice surprise.

1999 vintage

Not remarkable in any way

2009 vintage

concur with some previous comments that food brings this wine to life. I paired it with pasta and a spicy tomato sauce. The wine held up very well to the sauce.

2009 vintage

02/04/2014 The St. Francis Old Vines Zinfandel from Sonoma County is one of my favorite Zinfandels. The nose brings an intense and bold fruity aroma where you can smell the 15.7% alcohol. The flavor is also very bold and intense bringing a little bit of heat with citrus. The wine has a great flavor and goes well with spicy dishes and barbecue as I don't think it can be overpowered however it would likely overpower a medium or light dish. …

2009 vintage

Intense, deep zin with peppery notes. Great buy!

2009 vintage

This was a solid zin with dinner but after, without food, it had a noticeably off flavor.

2009 vintage

A decent jammy zinfandel, but too much oak.

2009 vintage

A good Zinfandel that needed food to soften the edge.

2009 vintage

Bright fruit, a little spice on the finish, a nice zin that goes well with spicy BBQ!

2009 vintage

really enjoyed this zinfandel

2009 vintage

Too long since I drank it, but we did like it in general..just do not remember enough to rate it.

2009 vintage

Limited notes; oak marred yet decent fruit; seemed to improve with some air. Not a bottle to remember though not bad

2009 vintage

Rough in taste and aroma. Probably needs more time

2009 vintage

Seems a little less ripe than the last 2 years, kind of "lodi-ish", and a bit dryer. I liked it, and am interested to see how this will develop over the next couple years.

2009 vintage

Rather spicy, but in a pleasant way. Would buy again.

2009 vintage

Bad don't waste your time with this one

2009 vintage

Very pleasant.

2009 vintage

Experimented, holding onto this favorite much much longer than recommended. Wasn't sure what to expect. Had never seen a synthetic cork turn as dark red as this one. Wine had nice complexity, still strong tannins. Not a lot of fruit as expected. Very pleasant overall.

1999 vintage

Fill into neck. Synthetic cork removed intact. Clear deep ruby-brick-brown hue. At first, there was a bitter chemical taste that made me wonder if some plastic component from the cork had leached into the wine. After an hour, this unpleasant bitterness had diminished, and after 24 hours under vacuum stopper, a modestly enjoyable, over-the-hill wine emerged with typical port-like jamminess and spice box.

1996 vintage

Could be past its time. Funky smell (barnyard) subsided after 30-45 mins, but wine was pretty rough. Very thick in grainy sediment as well. Not a favorite, could be too old

1996 vintage

3l bottle. great from the first to last poor. very consistant throughout. Nice fuit. Still had some tannin. Actually well balanced

1999 vintage

Wonderful mouthful of liquid berry jam, flavors of strawberry and rasberry. Finished with a bit of earth and tar.

1996 vintage

Funky barnyard up front like in an old pinot. Once it opens up a nice strawberry and rassberry mouthful, finishes with a bit of earthiness. Nice wine.

1996 vintage

A bit dry but opens up into a nice fruitiness of strawberries and raspberries. Finishes with a bit of earth and tar.

1996 vintage

Minerally up front but then it opens up into a nice mouthful of strawberry and boysenberry .

1996 vintage

Bit of barnyard up front like an older pinot with a nice dirt stawberry flavor underneath.

1996 vintage

Amazing up front berries and cherries in this one. Great bottle.

1996 vintage

Again a bit of a funk up front but after about a half hour that blew off to a nice sour cherry mixed with rasberry with a bit of smoke and tobacco. Nice older zin.

1996 vintage

Bit funky, smell of pickle at first. Some fruit there but not a great bottle.

1996 vintage

Muted nose, subtle fruit undetones but mainly tobacco and tar. Not a great bottle

1996 vintage

Clove and sweet cherry nose; chocolate, Kirsch palate

1996 vintage

Saturday, June 25, 2005 Zinging Evening of Zin and Sin All wines but for the Ridge Ponzo were consumed single blind at dinner. Hendry Zinfandel Napa 2001 14 Months in French oak (only 35% is new). Definitely young and needing time. More rustic than the others and somewhat bigger. Comments by others: young and good; best/winner; okay; acidic and charcoal (interesting how some liked it and some didn’t!) 15.4% alc. Ridge York Creek Zinfandel ‘98 88% Zin, 12% Petite Sirah. …

1999 vintage

jammy, fruity zin..13.5% alcohol. Enjoy

1999 vintage

Browning rim; brambley fruit, showing age; a core of fruit, but acidity prominent making it lean, Drink up.12

1999 vintage

more restrained & tannic than the 97. opened up with hints of vanilla & strawberry

1999 vintage

($24) Wine Country August 2001: Spicy cloves in the nose. Medium bodied. Ripe, but short. Very little going on beyond the nose and front palate.

1999 vintage

Lighter style,smooth, excellent for a '96!

1996 vintage

dark ruby red; rich strawberry & spice finish with plush tannins

1996 vintage

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St. Francis, Old Vines Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley

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