Wine Recommendation
  Sign In
Subscribe to our newsletter
Bookmark and Share  
print this review   PDF version of review     

Wine Recommendation

Wine:Sobon Estate 2005 Zinfandel - Old Vines  (Amador County)

Sobon Estate

2005 Zinfandel - Old Vines
(Amador County)



Old vine Zinfandels are one of the sublime pleasures of life – feeling with each drop, the history of that vineyard and the aged richness of the land. Sobon Estate owner Lee Sobon makes an old vine Zinfandel from his estate grapes, blending grapes from 70-year-old vines with fruit from younger vines, including 15-year-old Primitivo grapes.

The 2005 Sobon Estate Amador County Old Vines Zinfandel is a satisfying expression of this type: it has a nose you want to dive into, and it hits every taste bud in the mouth. It has flavor notes of dark plum and blueberry with a little bit of earthiness and ash, a classic Amador County note owing to the decomposed granite soil in the appellation. There is also a dark chocolate, Mexican Mole note that Sobon attributes to the small amounts of Grenache and Sangiovese in the blend.

About one third of Sobon Estate’s total 15,000 case production is the old vines Zinfandel wine. Zinfandel is a signature grape of the appellation, and in Sobon’s vineyards, it grows well at 1,800-2,000 feet elevation. “Our growing area is similar to Paso Robles and St. Helena. We have no morning fog but we have the same heat,” explains Sobon. “We get warm early in the morning but avoid the blistering afternoon heat. It gives us a more gradual ripening time which develops the silky, lush flavors and softer tannins.” For under $15 this wine is a great buy!

Reviewed April 23, 2007 by Jean Deitz Sexton.




Other reviewed wines from Sobon Estate

 
Sobon Estate
2005 Syrah
(Amador County)
Jean Deitz Sexton 4/20/2007

The Wine

Winery: Sobon Estate
Vintage: 2005
Wine: Zinfandel - Old Vines
Appellation: Amador County
Grapes: Zinfandel (88%), Syrah / Shiraz (4%), Barbera (4%), Sangiovese (2%), Grenache (2%)
Price: 750ml $12.95

Review Date: 4/23/2007

The Reviewer

Jean Deitz Sexton

Jean Deitz Sexton’s first experiences with wine were drinking Italian wine as an NYU college student in New York City. She continues to have a love of red wines with a reasonable alcohol level, that have rich flavor, good fruit yet softness. Deitz Sexton has a great fondness for Rhone varietals, anything with bubbles and of late, is obsessed with blends. Her approach to wine reviewing is pretty straightforward: does it have a pleasant nose, clarity of flavor, interesting notes, good mouth feel, and a satisfying finish?