Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

Ravenswood Winery 2002 Zinfandel, Monte Rosso Vineyard (Sonoma Valley)

Ravenswood Winery

2002 Zinfandel, Monte Rosso Vineyard
(Sonoma Valley)



Every wine lover has an opinion on what wine you should drink with BBQ or grilled fare. Some always go for a rose. Others think simple, but spicy reds are best. I've even heard Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc as options. In my opinion, there is no such thing as the "ultimate" BBQ wine given the wide range of foods that end up over open flame.

That said, I really love to serve Zinfandel with grilled beef, especially full-flavored, well-seasoned steaks or kebabs. So, drinking Ravenswood's 2002 Monte Rosso Zinfandel was a no-brainer choice.

Teeth stainingly dark in the glass, this wine has impressive aromatics that jump right out of the glass – sweet red berry (raspberry and cherry), vanilla, sweet and savory spice. The enchanting, alluring nose alone makes this wine an experience.

As with most Zin, this isn't a low alcohol bottling, coming in at 15.4% ABV, but the wine wasn't "hot" at all. Full, round, mouth-filling flavors and body balance the alcohol extremely well. Bold but smooth, this wine is all about cherries and chocolate and spice. I'm glad that I bought a few bottles because the Monte Rosso vineyard is owned by Gallo now, so Ravenswood won't be making this wine anymore.

Reviewed July 11, 2006 by Lenn Thompson.

 

The Wine

Winery: Ravenswood Winery
Vineyard: Monte Rosso Vineyard
Vintage: 2002
Wine: Zinfandel
Appellation: Sonoma Valley
Grape: Zinfandel
Price: 750ml $32.00

Review Date: 7/11/2006

The Reviewer

Lenn Thompson

Lenn Thompson writes about New York wines for Dan's Papers,
Long Island Press, Long Island Wine Gazette, Edible East End
and Hamptons.com. Two words describe his taste in wine — balance and nuance. Lenn prefers food-friendly, elegant wines to jammy, over-extracted fruit bombs and heavy-handed oak. When reviewing, Lenn tastes each wine three times — alone right after opening, with food, and again the next day — believing that 90-second reviews are unrealistic and not how the average person enjoys wine.