Zinfandel doesn’t often retain the peppery part of its varietal profile when the alcohol level pushes past the 15% mark, tending to lean more into the jam or pie side of the spectrum. This wine gives us the best of both sides, with bright cherry pie and white pepper meeting over cinnamon and nutmeg. This will be a hit with people like to argue the merits of Zin at varying levels of ripeness — they can quaff and argue all at once. A fine effort for Bob Lotierzo’s first commercial foray.
Lotierzo Family Vineyards, Paso Robles (California) Zinfandel 2012
By Rich Cook