Another day and a second Zinfandel from V-Twin Vineyards. As I mentioned yesterday Scott Del Fava and his wife are motorcycle enthusiasts. Part of their mission statement is to bring the two worlds together. They aim to make wine a bit less daunting to the average person while also showing that many of their bike riding friends and wine club members are not of the hardcore variety people might stereotypically think of.
The 2005 V-Twin Sonoma County Zinfandel was made from fruit sourced in Dry Creek & Alexander Valley. This wine is a blend of Zinfandel (84%), Carignan (6%), and Alicante Bouchet (10%). This Zinfandel was aged in a combination of French and American oak. Alcohol for this release is a modest 13.8%. 476 cases were produced and the suggested retail price is $24.
V-Twin Vineyards isn’t fooling around when it comes to big Zinfandel. This second offering in two days I’m looking at is as impressive as the Poker Run from yesterday. But there are differences, which is of course key. Raspberry compote and vanilla lead the nose of this Sonoma Zinfandel. The words that came to mind when taking the first sip of this wine were, Raspberry Razzmatazz. There are a quite a few other things going on in this wine to be sure, but raspberry leads the charge. Spice layers underpin the core of raspberry throughout the palate. White pepper, dusty cocoa and nutmeg are all part of the finish which has good length.
This wine is another jammy Zinfandel from V-Twin, though a touch less so than the Poker Run. It’s smoother and more immediately accessible as well. It drinks quite nicely by itself, but sure wasn’t hurt when I paired it with a burger topped with caramelized onions and Manchego cheese.