Bogle Old Vines Zinfandel 2005 Tasting Notes

The $11 Bogle Zinfandel brings a good deal more to the glass than its price level alone would indicate. It offers excellent, ripe, extracted fruit. On the nose I enjoyed raspberry, black cherry, vanilla and tobacco; a few basic notes nicely presented. Many Zins tend to be high in alcohol, and though the 14.5% level of this wine brings some heat to the nose, it does not disrupt any of the elements on the palate.

The wine is dry, with mid-level acidity and some mild and very quaffable tannins. On the palate it gives raspberry with a touch of cranberry, black cherry, vanilla, cocoa and tobacco, orange peel and a touch of smoky dried herb. The fruit is juicy and direct in its statement. The finish has a touch of caramelized fruit.

This Zinfandel offers a quality I term “brightness,” that I have found in other quality Zins. I mean this as a musical reference, as a trumpet is “bright” in its sound quality or as the “bright” switch on a guitar amplifier adds a certain presence. It may well be that this is more a matter of the feel of the wine than of the aroma or taste. Regardless, when you combine the brightness with the fruit, oak and herbal notes and factor in this wine's tasty accessibility, you arrive at a winner.