2009 Outpost Zinfandel
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Tasting notes
Good medium ruby-red. Aromas of raspberry, strawberry, chocolate and pepper are rather liqueur-like without being tired. The superripe quality carries through in the mouth, but there's also a juiciness to the tight red berry flavors. In a rather sullen stage today, showing more energy on the finish than on the nose or middle palate.
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Black plums, black cherries, mint, new leather and licorice are some of the many notes that flow from the 2009 Zinfandel. This big, explosive Zinfandel is literally bursting with detail and varietal nuance. An extroverted, highly expressive finish rounds things out in style.
Black plums, black cherries, mint, new leather and licorice are some of the many notes that flow from the 2009 Zinfandel. This big, explosive Zinfandel is literally bursting with detail and varietal nuance. An extroverted, highly expressive finish rounds things out in style. Anticipated maturity: 2011.2015. This is a gorgeous set of wines from Frank and Kathy Dotzler. The Outpost wines have very distinct personalities, and stand quite apart from most of what is being made in Napa Valley today, especially when it comes to Grenache, Zinfandel and Petite Syrah. The estate is located on Howell Mountain, in a very distinct microclimate that features a condensed growing season. When I visited in April this year the vines were completely dormant, yet when I returned, in late October, early morning temperatures were easily ten degrees warmer than they were on the valley floor. Tel. (707) 965-1718
Good deep red. Pungently spicy aromas of red cherry and rose petal. Wonderfully scented and elegant for zinfandel, showing captivating, well-delineated flavors of red berries, spices and flower. Finishes with plenty of chewy tannins that should enable it to evolve in bottle for a decade or more. I don't normally publish notes on unfinished zinfandels, but this beauty was slated to be bottled the week after my visit. Incidentally, winemaker Thomas Brown noted that the 2009 vintage on Howell Mountain yielded wines that are both fruitier and more tannic than 2008, but without as much dry extract as the previous vintage.