Having heard the mantra Ribs=Zin, and knowing Joe really enjoys chef Michael Chiarello's line of wines, I brought over a bottle of Chiarello Old Vines Giani Zinfandel. Sold Out now!
Although too typical in alcohol for modern California Zins (15.4%), this wine was actually quite light in character. Definitely a ruby color in the glass, with some alcohol but dominated by zinberry fruit. This was confirmed on the palette-this is a very light, easily drinkable (too easily drinkable 
) Zin with a lot of balance. There is not a lot of heat on the palette-the fresh, rasberry/zinberry fruit carries the alcohol well. A big California zin that actually goes well with food, the texture and mouth feel are quiter light. Chiarello simply does very elegant, very balanced, and very nice wines! Even for someone who prefers Bordeaux varietals! ***1/2
For after dinner enjoyment, not that we needed another wine,
I brought out a bottle of ZD Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001. This has been actually stored properly in my too-small wine refrigerator!
A bit of a surprise for me! Although inky black in the glass, this is a pretty light cab. ZD's Winery is located in the Stag's Leap District, but this wine was much lighter than the typical jammy SL cabs I've tasted-the label does claim a more "generic" Napa Valley sourcing, so I'm guessing there is not a lot of Stag's Leap fruit here. In fact, the flavor profile was a bit "zin-ish." Raspberry, zinberry, good acidity. The major fault is a bit of tough greenness on the palette-was 2001 a cool year? Or, did some of the grapes come from Carneros? Hm... a mystery. On the more positive side, there was some nice dark tobacco and leather notes coming through.
My big problem with this wine is QPR, though. If I recall correctly when I bought it, the pricing was the same as the Beaulieu Vineyards George de la Tour Reserve Cab (which I also tried this weekend. Yum!), and I know which one I prefer! Still, Joe, who loves Zins, and Donna, his wife, really enjoyed this cab, so it was a success!!! **