A few weeks back, Ben Hilzinger (aka The Wine Slinger) was rummaging through the pile of un-tasted samples in the basement and said, “Hey, mind if we break open the Smoking Loon Old Vine Zin.” Fresh off my commitment to blog more, I complied. This week’s wine of the week (#wowwine on Twitter) is 2009 Smoking Loon Old Vine Zinfandel.

2009 Smoking Loon Old Vine Zinfandel

Producer: Don Sebastiani & Sons

Region: California

My Suggested Pairing: Sweet & Sticky Baby Back Ribs

Price $10

Having had dozens of value California Zinfandel I thought I knew what to expect when I opened this wine. It was partly what I expected and partly full of surprises. First surprise was the thin color of the wine with the watery edges. The nose of the wine was a little smoky (but no loons) and had a spicy hot burnt rubber aroma as well (the surprise). In the mouth the wine was classic bold jammy prune, stewed berry and spice (expected). This old vine Zin would appeal to a lot of people and would be a nice Tuesday wine or something to have with pizza on family game night. When asked to guess the price, Mr. Wine Slinger said, “I would put it at $18-$20.” WRONG, Benny, this vino is only $10 retail, oft found for less. BOOM, value!

3/5

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