Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Artezin 2003 Zinfandel (California)

Two guys, three racks of ribs and a bottle of Zinfandel - what better way to kill an evening and shoot the proverbial shit (the discrepancy in racks is because one guy didn't show). I have been holding onto this bottle for a few years now because it was the first vintage for this three region Zin (Amador, Napa and Mendocino) from the Hess Group under this stylized black label ... thankfully I believe I still have another bottle because this one was awesome. This incredibly fruit forward, alcohol dominant Zin was a perfect match with the ribs - lots of sweet fruit and just the right amount of tannins; the 6 years from vintage date seemed to have little affect on the taste or colour of the wine, in fact I'd say it added to the complexity. I mentioned the domineering alcohol because it seems to add a bit of controversy to the wine - the front label said it was 14.5%, while the back label contradicted that with a 15.5% rating. Seeing as we walked away from table a little lightheaded I'd say the back label wins. But the real winner was my belly - good food, good wine and a friend to share it all with ... what could be better?

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