Sunday, July 12, 2015

Issue XXVIII: Rosenblum Vintner’s Cuvée XXXVI [Zinfandel] Edition

Rosenblum Vintner’s Cuvée XXXVI [Zinfandel] 



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.

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