Wine Tasting 1/17/2023

Wine Details 

 Name: Klinker Brick Winery Old Vine Zinfandel

 Variety: Zinfandel

 Region: Lodi, California

 Country: United States of America

 Vintage: 2018

 Price: $20

Review from Wine.com (https://www.wine.com/product/klinker-brick-old-vine-zinfandel-2018/877755#closePromoModal)

Winemaker Notes 

This, Klinker Brick's flagship zinfandel, is made from vineyard blocks up to 120 years old. Delta Breezes and the associated fog allow us to retain above average acidity for the region, providing notes of dark cherry and spices. Barrel fermentation brings additional structure to thin skin varietal. The extremely low yields of century old vineyards bring notes of rhubarb and cranberry, with a hint of black pepper. The result is a balanced and complex Zinfandel perfect for both Summer barbecues and Fall fire pits. 

My Review

On Tuesday 1/17/2023, a couple of friends and I decided to do our first wine tasting for this class. We swung by the store and chose Klinker Brick Winery's Old Vine Zinfandel. We chose this wine mostly because we recognized the variety and the price was affordable for us. We poured the wine directly from bottle into our glasses, no aeration or decanting, and the bottle was at room temperature. We tried the wine by itself, with no food or other wines.

The wine was a medium to deep garnet color, mostly opaque and with light edges, indicating the expected young age of the wine. Wine had a medium viscosity, which corresponds to the tasting notes. On the nose, their was a bit of alcohol along with light notes of red fruit, primarily raspberry and cherry. Upon tasting the wine, I noticed a balance of sweetness and tartness. Acidity was low, and tannins were mild, requiring thorough swishing to feel and astringency. Body was mild, with little mouth feel and muted finish.

Overall, I like this wine, but it does not stand out to me. I would give it a 6 out of 10. It was somewhat muted, with no flavors or scents that jumped out to me. This could very well be due to my inexperience with wine tasting, so I am looking forward to trying more wines and expanding my pallet in the coming weeks!