Tasting - Gnarly Head Zinfandel

Wine Label

Me With Bottle

Name: Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin

Varietal: Lodi Zinfandel

Region: California

Country: United States

Year: 2020

Price: $7.99

Tasting Notes from Total Wine:

"California- Crafted from grapes from 35 to 80 year old vines. Rich, dark berry flavors from the small grape clusters are balanced with French, American and Hungarian oak. Luscious layers of plum, pepper and chocolate provide a lingering and spicy finish."

Source: https://www.totalwine.com/wine/red-wine/zinfandel/gnarly-head-old-vine-zinfandel/p/5068750

Wine Folly Notes - p. 189

• Blackberry, strawberry, peach preserves, cinnamon, sweet tobacco
• High alcohol
• Bold, tannic
• Low acidity, low sweetness
• Fruit-forward
• Jammy fruit and smoky, exotic spice notes

My Review:

The aroma of this wine started very fruity, but was quickly overtaken by the smell of alcohol. In that fruit, I could detect blackberry and strawberry, agreeing with Wine Folly's notes. The taste of this wine was phenomenally complex and multi-faceted. It was very fruit-forward like the aroma, once again agreeing with Wine Folly. The fruit flavor was largely blackberry. My favorite part of this wine was not the fruit, however. After a second or two of being in my mouth, this zinfandel coated my tongue with a spicy, peppery cinnamon, a sensation that I have not felt in a wine before. The aftertaste introduced an alien smoky flavor that was really absorbed in the walls of my mouth and my lips, and after some thought I attributed it to the sweet tobacco that Wine Folly noted. On later sips, I made sure to palm my glass to heat up the wine. When I did, I could taste more strawberry and peach flavors that were no longer suppressed by the blackberry. I highly enjoyed the complexity of this wine.

I did not have this wine with food.