2015 Heitz Cellar Napa Valley Zinfandel

Happy Friday!  It's been a busy week, so I am definitely looking forward to some relaxation this weekend (though I have a bunch of things happening so this may be my only post for the weekend!).  In any case, it's time to open a nice bottle of wine, and pairing with my dinner was a bit of a challenge, but I decided upon a nice Zinfandel, the food friendly wine!  Tonight, I'm enjoying a 2015 Heitz Cellar Napa Valley Zinfandel that I recently purchased from Wines Till Sold Out, so let's see how this one is shaping up!

The wine is a lovely ruby color in the glass, with great clarity.  The nose presents aromas of earthy mineral notes under some jammy fruit notes of cherry, plum and strawberry.  The taste is somewhat Bordeaux-esque with a bit of funk hanging around, but the fruit is quite vibrant with flavors of cherry and strawberry up front that transitions to some notes of tar and basalt midpalate. The finish features a bit of tart cherry over some tightly wound tannins providing for a long, smooth and very dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a very nice Zinfandel, but in my view not quite to the level of a Lodi Zin.  As always, this varietal is exceptionally food friendly and would pair well with anything from pizza to ribs, tacos to steak.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a bit more challenging dinner of grilled Spanish octopus with some grilled asparagus and white truffle butter orzo with shaved Parmesan.  I"m not sure I could have packed any more flavors on that plate!  Cheers!