Perhaps some definitions might be in order at this juncture
for those not already familiar. “Vintner” can be taken to mean wine-maker and
in this case, since this is a signature wine for the Rosenblum vineyards, it is
marked with an anniversary number for the particular heritage of the grape used
to make the actual wine in the bottle. This particular one is 36, of course,
but if you can find other heritages, given the great care that Rosenblum takes,
you can feel confident you are getting a quality wine. “Cuvée”, as you’ve no
doubt already gathered, is a French word referring to vat or tank. Used here,
it means a specific (and special) blend, in conjunction with the Roman
numbering on the label.
Continuing on a bit from a previous discussion about the
genesis of the list and the attendant sub-lists, a friend of mine who was
traveling a great deal and also beginning his own sort of wine journey asked me
for a list of wines to get. Now the generosity of this man, one of my very
dearest friends, is both pronounced and profound and it is to my good great
fortune that I have known him. I sent him some known gems, as well as some that
I hadn’t gotten to yet, which looked promising, one of which was this. He very
kindly bought a bottle for himself and one for me, as well. I’ve gotten wine
before as gifts and the answer to the givers is always “thank you, it is/was
quite good” or somesuch along those lines, as anything less would be
exceedingly poor form. In this case, having had a few bottles, such a statement
is actually true.
Zinfandels are one of the heavier wines and “heavier” can
often be taken to mean “clunky.” In this case, however, we find a definite
degree of thickness, but it is far from enough to bog anything down. It is a
very full body and very notable mouth feel, but it is neither as heavy nor
quite as biting as some of the other Zins out there. Zinfandel, I feel, is a
very tricky grape, as it can wind up being very acidy – and indeed, plan on a
good 30 minutes air time, minimum here – and unpleasant to drink, but this one
displays a nice degree of roundness and smoothness along with just enough edge
cutting through to keep this from the aforementioned clunkiness. It is a quite
tasty wine, as well, thoroughly enjoyable. This one can also serve a dual purpose
as serving as a very nice introduction to the Zinfandel grape as well as being
a very drinkable all-around wine, as long as your taste runs more to the
weightier side.
At around $10 or so normally, this is another I have as a
Standard, at least when I want something heavier, fuller-bodied and more
robust. It is not intended to be
storable, though, but is one of the better values out there.
