Yay! It's the 4th of July and hot as all get out! So that presents a bit of a challenge for the red wine lover, what to drink on a hot day with lots of old fashioned American food? Do you wimp out for a chilled rose? Or do you go for the gusto? Well, I chose the latter with a wonderful old vine zinfandel from Lodi, the 2008 Old Zin Vines (OZV) old vine zinfandel!
Now I love a good zin and everyone knows the best zins come from Lodi so how could I miss with this one? This wine is a lovely deep purple in the glass, with a good bit of opacity. The nose is a treat, with hints of ripe plum, anise, leather and cedar, with just the faintest bit of a floral smell, the kind of nose that tells your taste buds, "get ready, cause this is gonna be good!" There is a good bit of fruit on the front end, with tastes of ripe berries and cassis, giving way to a wonderful cedar smokiness midpalate leading to a wonderfully smooth, dry finish. Very much what you'd expect from the old vines of Lodi!
Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's just a great overall zin, which is even more impressive given the price at only $11 at the local World Market! This wine would be a great one to sip at sunset, or enjoy with a variety of cuisines, from spicy Mediterranean to a rare grilled T-bone, to lovely fish tacos, but tonight I am enjoying it with the most American of fare, hot dogs! Yes indeed, I am having some lovely grilled hot dogs served up Chicago style, with mustard, relish, diced onions, tomato, pickle, celery salt and sport peppers (don't ask how we get all that on a single bun!), along with some lovely baked beans and freshly made coleslaw, a perfectly American summer meal!
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