Way back in 1993, my future father-in-law started my introduction to the finer side of wines, especially reds. That was the year of my wedding, and the year of the finest Clos du Bois Merlot. Thus began my appreciation and preference for Merlots. Over the years, unfortunate financial events paired with a separation of sorts from my father-in-law, have led to the demise of my pursuing higher end wines. However, a superb uncle of mine continues to introduce me to the best of the best, and has taught me that one does NOT need to spend a small fortune to enjoy good wine. Although I have yet to encounter a red that effects me like the 1993 Clos du Bois Merlot, I have enjoyed many adventures with various reds, especially when paired with certain foods. I wish to keep a diary of sorts on my experiences with less expensive purchases as I continue to seek out a superb experience. And so I begin:
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Campus Oaks
Old Vine Zinfandel
LODI 2003
Cost: $13.99/bottle
Would Buy Again
The first glass I poured while preparing dinner. It had a nice flavor, and I especially liked the finish. I figured on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being fabulous) it was about a 5. I then poured another glass with dinner and it became a 7. The flavor was enhanced with the menu of baked ziti, rosemary tuscan loaf, and baby green salad with pignolia nuts.
Gnekow Family Winery
Collegeville, CA
http://www.gnekowwinery.com/
Merlotsoul
2 comments:
Hello,
I appreciate your efforts here on this blog. Keep it up.
As for the Campus Oaks LODI Old Vine Zin, I think you are actually under-rating this fabulous wine. It is shocking (to me) how excellent this wine is for the price. Quite impressive what they can do for that dollar. It is a supple and smooth Zin, rare in itself -- and jammy and full of berries. Just about everything you could want in a Zin, except perhaps more structure. But, seriously, at the price tag you can find it at: outrageously good.
The 2004 is right in line with the 2003. I highly recommend both.
Abbi,
I'm sorry I never saw your post until this year!!
Thank you for your comments so long ago. If you're still around and happen to check back from time to time, I am going to re-visit this LODI again in the coming weeks (and/or the 2004 as well). I can't believe I gave it a rating of 5 and then moved it up to a 7! That was before I identified well with my rating system.
Anyway, thanks for the comments and I hope you're still around.
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