Far and away the most boring Zinfandel I have ever had, and I get accused CONSTANTLY of liking boring zins. I like old-school zins, Italian field-blends and co-ferments, stuff from St Helena and the early days of Amador, Dry Creek Valley and Contra Costa. People say I like my zins to taste like claret. And this particular bottle trots itself out as a “classic style”, “high acid”, and styled restrainably. What has translated into the glass, however, is something bereft of character.
Medium ruby; semi-transparent. No nose what-so-ever. Nothing. Vague chubby fruit with a steely green vegetal, and THAT’S using your imagination. Washed-out red nothingness is the rule here. Nothing more.
In the mouth, calling it an easy red blend would be an understatement. I was drawn to the the low-alc and classic PS and PV blend, but nowhere do these incidents shine. Nowhere does ZINFANDEL shine–to be honest. At 5, I both do not want to know what this wine tasted like on release nor have aspirations where it it might go. There’s no redeeming value here, though no serious flaws exude. Watery, flaccid fruit of supposedly cherry nature mix with harsh astringency and off-putting heat in a vodka-infused liquid lacking jam or even maderization. Both things I might give a point for with this variety. Possibly one of the most un-interesting wines I have tasted in years, a wine lacking ANY redeeming quality, void of varietal typicity or even compelling interest. It’s not un-drinkable, and labelled “Red Blend” it might be the BTG offering of the decade, but it’s a shameful “Zinfandel”.
2016 LEONARD WINE CO ‘Lou’s Blend’ Zin/PS/PV 83/10/7 Napa/Sonoma 20/80 St. Helena 14.2
Stephen McConnell 