WTN: Cedarville '03 Zin

15.7% alcohol. Probably paid around $20 for it on release.

Found this in the basement while looking for something to go with a Moroccan lamb stew. Very dark purple with no visible signs of age. Dry, spicy nose supported by some ripe fruit aroma. In the mouth, there's an initial hit of dark fruit that fades in the mid-palate, leaving a drying, tannic finish.

Overall, this is doing pretty darn well for an eight year old, 15.7% zin. Starting to dry out a bit and maybe a little past its prime, but still quite good.

[Jenise]

Impressive. Do you age, deliberately or otherwise, any of his other wines? I once had some of his cabs here but drank them all early; I had liked them at the tasting room but found them a bit on the sappy side once I got home and back to my normal routines.

I do have at least a few older bottles of cab and syrah - I think a '99 syrah is the oldest. I can't say I have a lot of experience with how they age, though, as most of the bottles get consumed relatively young. I think you mentioned a viognier you had a while back that had not aged well, and I'd agree on those - they need to be consumed within a year or two of purchase, in my experience.

I had the '99 Syrah (a friend's bottle that we shared) few weeks ago. It was beautiful.
-Shaji

I had the '99 Syrah (a friend's bottle that we shared) few weeks ago. It was beautiful.
-Shaji

Good to know! I thought it would likely still be good, but it's much better to hear from someone who's had it.

We had the 2005 Zin the other night, and it was excellent, with no signs of any downturn. I buy a couple of cases from Cedarville each year, usually skipping the Syrah and Petite. I think they age rather well.. even the Viognier.