Saturday, November 19, 2016

TWITs - Zinfandel on the Porch - hosted by Ms. Kathy and Mr. Jamie

TWITs - Zinfandel on the Porch - hosted by Ms. Kathy and Mr. Jamie - November 19th, 2016

When:  Saturday November 19th, 2016 @ 6 pm

Theme:  Zinfandel on the Porch

Bring:  TWITs should bring a bottle of Zinfandel (a red wine) within the price range (Up to $20/bottle for Single Attendee, between $20 - $40/bottle for Couples, couples only expected to bring 1 bottle per couple)  NOTE:  Zinfandel is a red wine, not the same thing as White Zinfandel.



Tasting Notes: 
Welcome Wine 1) Trecini Zinfandel Brut, Rockpile Sonoma County ~ $40 from the winery's wine club, members only purchase.
this was a sparkling Zinfandel, 12.5% alcohol.

Welcome Wine 2) Francois Montand Brut Rose - $15 @ Roswell Provisions
this wine was not a zin, but it was delicious

1) 2013 Dashe Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley - $36.99 @ Le Caveau
14.1% alcohol
black pepper, spicy, very dry, dark purple red, lighter zin, very nice, cherries, acidic, nice acidity, smooth, pinot-noir-ish, delicious.
Anecdote:  Abbie and Matt met the winemaker Anne Dashe at a wine tasting, they like to call her "Mrs. Dashe".  the label features a monkey riding a fish, the meaning behind this is that Anne is the fish, she grew up in a fishing village in France, and the monkey is her husband Michael, an American.  It represents two animals on a journey.

2) 2002 Biale Zinfandel, Silvarado Trail, Napa Valley - $39
16.7% alcohol
totally different, smells green, grassy, light, WOAH! spinach nose, spinach with no seasoning, bold palate, port-like, perfumey, licorice, chocolate, sweeter, earthy, it's seen some wood, tastes like almost an Australian Shiraz, dustiness, plastic-nose, inflatables, drier, hits back of the palate, too many grape seeds, bitter on the end, dusty, seen some oak, mulled wine, cinnamon, nutmet, christmasy
Anecdote:  Why is there a Black Chicken on the label of this wine?  In the times of the great depression, the Biale farm phone line was a party line so people could overhear you.  Aldo knew that in Italy the folkloric symbol for the wines from Chianti is the Gallo Nero — Black Rooster. That seemed an appropriate moniker for his secret wine, and a code name was born. Soon phone calls started coming over the party line with customers requesting, for example, “2 dozen eggs, some zucchini, prunes, walnuts and a Gallo Nero.” Aldo’s ranch was known for its legions of leghorn chickens so the code name quickly evolved from Gallo Nero (Black Rooster) to Gallina Nera — Black Chicken.
Anecdote #2:  Chris had a friend who had a rather bad tattoo of a Phoenix on his arm, they called it the black chicken, and thus his friend became known as the Black Chicken when they played tennis.

3) 2010 Nichelini Zinfandel Reserve Estate Bottle, Napa Valley ~ $30-$50 @ the winery
16.1% alcohol
deep dark, i love the nose on this one, spicy, lots of fruit, anise-nose, tart, caramel, not as dry, dill, chocolate, american oak, tobacco, in the middle range, classic zin, cran-orange, nutmeg, biscotti cookies.

4) Scherrer Zinfandel - Alexander Valley - $35 @ Le Caveau
14.5% alcohol
smells sweeter, fruity, bing cherry, nicely balanced, yummy, smooth, elegant, olive brine, herbacious, quaffable, privet bush, lime or lemon on the nose, lemon verbena, key lime, canned cranberry sauce, cucumber
Anecdote:  Several TWITs went to the Fred Scherrer Wine Dinner at Southbound in 2014.  Fred played guitar, and we stayed late into the night.  What a lovely time!

5) 2005 Di Arie Zinfandel, Shenandoah Valley - $39 @ Merchants Package
14.7% alcohol
perfumey, light, perfect zin, bitter and spice on the finish, would pair well with a cigar, smoky, cardamom, "I'm into it", very good with food, old dresser, brighter red fruits, cloves, "reeks of expensive flavors"

6) 2012 Frogs Leap Rutherford, Napa Valley - $29.99 @ Toco Giant
13.7% alcohol
delicious nose, vanilla, chocolate, bronze in color, dirt, cherry, nestle powdered chocolate, "Ew - can we go to #7?" long finish on a bad wine, citrus-zest, mmm, finish is long and flabby, Guessing Chalk Hill? requires cheese, sour grapes, what happened?  I feel like I picked up someone else's wine glass, I feel I could make the wine better, Brian said he has had this one at the winery and he thinks something is just wrong with this particular bottle.

7) 2013 St. Francis, Sonoma County - $20 @ Total Wine
15.2% alcohol
port-like, perfumey, better than the last one, syrup, chocolate, mens cologne, candy corn, blackberry, decorative hand soap in the shape of seashells, cigars,
Anecdote:  Chad and Christy got married at this winery.

8) 2013 Old Soul Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi - $18 @ Marietta Wine Market
13.5% alcohol
thicker, milk chocolate, sweet, jammy, vanilla, lighter nose, nutmeg and cinnamon, rhubarb, nose of tart fruits, christmas, fragrant tart fruits, green apple, soft finish, easy-drinking zin, balanced, front of the palate, by far the softest, not an "in your face zin", sweet, sticky

9) 2009 d'Art Zinfandel, Lodi ~ $ 28 - $32
15% alcohol (Hungarian Oak)
funky nose, ooh that stinks, nose is bright, musty, cherry, cauliflower, robotussin palate, twizzlers, the good kind of robotussin, Robotussin D, it's all about the D, Lodi stank,

10) 2014 Sobon Estates, Plymouth, CA - $24 @ Total Wine
15.5% alcohol
Guessing Lodi? not as fruity, milder, nose not as pronounced, tar, asphalt, Lodi, thicker in the mouth, it's so fruit forward, tannins, going to stain my lips, that's a party in your mouth


Our lovely TWITs Ladies

Appetizers to  pair with the wine

Acquiring the Bouquet (smelling the wine)

On the Porch

Course 2 - smoked pork and roasted veggies


Lil' JPP and Bella playing

Start them Young?  lol 

Kathy always has the cutest napkins!