Wine Review - 2009 Terra d'Oro Zinfandel: A Subtly Big Wine
We bought this wine after having a sample at a local store. This wine from Terra d'Oro is from their Amador Valley vineyard in California. This is a direct quote from their website:
"The Vineyard, in its entirety, was grafted over to Zinfandel in 1994 on the susceptible rootstock AxR. It is the only Zin vineyard owned that is bilateral cordon trained and used for red wine production. The vineyard is surrounded by mature Valley Oaks with deep roots that monopolize the water supply, thus making it necessary to harvest the outer vines first and continue in a doughnut pattern."
Say what, now?
So after we finished pondering that we got down to actually trying the wine. The wine is dark as expected but where the wines from the last two nights had a violet colour this one is much more brownish red in colour. Very different and still quite dark and thick, yet again.
The nose on this wine is definitely different and not exactly a wow smell. Good smell maybe, but not great. There is some fruit and oak but not really memorable. It actually kind of is a mild nose that disappears as soon as you pull your nose away from the glass. So, the fruit that we can smell is like blackberries with a side of bacon, but it is so mild and light we can't nail it down. If it had a bolder smell we would really love this wine.
Now, the taste of this wine is much better than the mildness of the nose. It is a very nice tasting wine with a lot of what California Zin has going for it. Rich tannins and lots of dark berry fruit. There is a nice balance in the wine, with a lot of softness and just a touch of acidity. It is not as big as some Zins we have had but there is enough body to make it a good tasting wine. It is another good with food but good on its own wine. This has a long finish and really coats the tongue on the way down. Tasty for sure....but the nose, where did it go?
"The Vineyard, in its entirety, was grafted over to Zinfandel in 1994 on the susceptible rootstock AxR. It is the only Zin vineyard owned that is bilateral cordon trained and used for red wine production. The vineyard is surrounded by mature Valley Oaks with deep roots that monopolize the water supply, thus making it necessary to harvest the outer vines first and continue in a doughnut pattern."
Say what, now?
So after we finished pondering that we got down to actually trying the wine. The wine is dark as expected but where the wines from the last two nights had a violet colour this one is much more brownish red in colour. Very different and still quite dark and thick, yet again.
The nose on this wine is definitely different and not exactly a wow smell. Good smell maybe, but not great. There is some fruit and oak but not really memorable. It actually kind of is a mild nose that disappears as soon as you pull your nose away from the glass. So, the fruit that we can smell is like blackberries with a side of bacon, but it is so mild and light we can't nail it down. If it had a bolder smell we would really love this wine.
Now, the taste of this wine is much better than the mildness of the nose. It is a very nice tasting wine with a lot of what California Zin has going for it. Rich tannins and lots of dark berry fruit. There is a nice balance in the wine, with a lot of softness and just a touch of acidity. It is not as big as some Zins we have had but there is enough body to make it a good tasting wine. It is another good with food but good on its own wine. This has a long finish and really coats the tongue on the way down. Tasty for sure....but the nose, where did it go?
| Tasting Notes: | Score: | |
| Sight (0-5) | Dark wine with a brownish hue and is definitely thick wine. | 4.0 |
| Smell (0-5) | An overly muted nose with fruit, smokey bacon, and some oak. So, slight it takes away from the wine. | 3.75 |
| Taste (0-10) | A nice tasting wine with a good mouth feel and round tannins. Tastes good with dark berry fruit and some nice balance. | 8.0 |
| Total: | 15.75 / 20 (78.75%) |
At $21 locally it is a pretty good value but the nose is holding it back. A more intense nose would make this an amazing wine. As it stands it is a pretty good wine with, let's call it, potential. Not as big as some Zins but still has a nice flavour profile once it is actually in your mouth. Not bad...
Keep on tasting!
Chris & Shannon
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