Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

Dover Canyon Winery 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel, Dusi Vineyards (Paso Robles)

Dover Canyon Winery

2005 Old Vine Zinfandel, Dusi Vineyards
(Paso Robles)



There is simply no other vineyard like Benito Dusi’s. These are rugged, gnarly eighty-year-old vines that haven’t had a drop to drink since the last time Mother Nature wept. Seriously hardy old souls, these vines, located west of the Salinas River in the wind-blasted Templeton region of Paso Robles. And they produce Zin with soul unlike any other. Dan and Mary from Dover Canyon are indeed most fortunate to have a contract for this rarified, extremely low-yield fruit.

This wine was made with a Rhone yeast and aged for 16 months in American oak. You can smell the absolutely pure Zin-ness of this wonderful wine from the first whiff. It’s dusty earth, raspberries, smoky sage and pink peppercorns in the nose, and raspberries, blackberries, a touch of basil and cherry tomatoes on the palate. This is not a big jam bomb, but instead a delightful medley of herbs, earth, berries, sweet tobacco and pure Zin gusto. It finishes like classic old vine Zin: you get the sensation of chewing on a dried cherry tart. This is indeed the very soul of Zin. It is firm, unwavering and unrelenting, like the gaze of an old farmer. Yep, it’s a Dusi. Like that farmer’s handshake, it will grip you with its lean, weather beaten and gnarled strength. If you worship at the feet of old vine Zin, you must pay a visit to this shrine.

Reviewed August 9, 2007 by Laura Ness.




Other reviewed wines from Dover Canyon Winery

 

The Wine

Winery: Dover Canyon Winery
Vineyard: Dusi Vineyards
Vintage: 2005
Wine: Old Vine Zinfandel
Appellation: Paso Robles
Grape: Zinfandel
Price: 750ml $27.00

Review Date: 8/9/2007

The Reviewer

Laura Ness

A wine writer and wine judge for major publications and competitions around the country, Laura Ness likens wine to the experience of music. She is always looking for that ubiquitous marriage of rhythm, melody, and flawless execution. What is good music? You know it when you get lost in it. What is good wine? It is music in your mouth.