The second worst wine I'd ever had was a zinfandel - it tasted mainly of gravy. So it was with slight trepidation that I approached a bottle of zinfandel from a reputable merchant. However, as luck would have it having secreted it in my cellar I ended up drinking some at a work party and rather enjoying it. Then, after seeing this not entirely complementary tasting note for the 2005:
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I got curious enough to pull it out and sample it.
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The label on the back of bottle says that the wine tastes and smells of raspberry, blackcurrant and black cherry wrapped in a blanket of oak and vanilla and for the first time I can recall I find myself in 100% agreement with a back label. I'd expand on it by adding smoke to the list and pointing out that since the fruit flavours tend toward the sweet, they all have acquired a certain jammy character. The intensity of flavour is good and the wine seems fairly well balanced.
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So I rather enjoyed it, although I suspect it made a better tipple drank on its own after dinner than with it, as the other taster tried. It might also be that my 2004 was simply a better vintage than 2005 - I don't know the Californian vintages, so it could be the case.