Tonight we examine a 2009 zinfandel from California’s Lodi area, which I bought at Total Wine for $12.50. I also received a free sample of it.
Last night we compared three zins, at $17, $15, and $15, and it was basically a tie. Guess what — tonight, I can announce a clear winner.
Ravenswood Lodi old vine zin. It wasn’t one of the three we compared, but Ravenswood Lodi has the juicy, crowd-pleasing warmth of last night’s Kenwood. Going beyond the Kenwood, it has some (but not all) of the spice and tannins of the Rancho Zabaco. And like the Ravenswood Sonoma, Ravenswood Lodi is definitely not wimpy. (Partly because it’s actually 23% petite sirah.) But it doesn’t take the big risks that Ravenswood Sonoma does, which causes that very nice red to have potentially more limited appeal. In fact, the Lodi is just generally, flat-out delicious. I love it.
All this, and it’s only $12.50. It might not be the best of these zinfandels in absolute terms, but then again, it might be. Taking price into account, Ravenswood Lodi clearly defeats all of last night’s notable contenders.
Highly recommended.
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