Winery - Grgich Hills
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Opens with a blast of apricot, lemon mousse, vanilla, butterscotch and smoky cinnamon aromas, and then really takes off in the mouth. It’s dessert in a glass, liquid peach cobbler drizzled with honey and vanilla syrup. Very sweet, with 12 percent residual sugar, but a firm spine of acidity provides balance. An unusual blend of Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The alcohol level is 13.6%.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is a difficult Zin to like, because it has a hot, peppery feeling and raisiny taste. Even though the official alcohol is lower than some other Zins, it sticks out. There’s not enough fat, fruity richness to offset it.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
You could drink this classic Cab now, tannic as it is, because any wine this balanced and fine can be appreciated. Better to leave it be for five or ten years. It’s a dramatic wine, dense in black currants and black cherries, with a creme de cassis-like unctuousness. Oak has been judiciously applied. After all the new kids on the block have come and gone, Grgich Hills still stands.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This Napa Valley mainstay’s offering shows a firm acid backbone and crisp, bright green apple flavors with lemony accents. Overall a bit on the lean side, but it shows just a hint of butteriness and some tangy new oak spice on the long, tart finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Pretty tannic and astringent from the get go, a wine that puckers the palate. There is a core of black cherry and blackberry fruit, with a tobacco and herbal edge. Finishes very dry, with a rasping feel. May soften in a few years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A difficult wine to like, as it lacks charm. There’s something rustic in the orange marmalade and sugared herb tea flavors that accentuates the tannins and acids, making the finish harsh.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Grgich’s recent vintages of Zinfandel haven’t been as good as they should be, and this one doesn’t correct that impression. It’s soft and more than a little sweet in cherry and blackberry flavors, with a tomato and beet edge that suggests uneven ripening.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Grgich has struggled with this uneven bottling over the years, and the 2003 shows the problems that have plagued the wine. It combines sharpness with sugary cherry-berry flavors, making for a sweet and sour taste. There are tannins aplenty, but it doesn’t seem like an ager.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Has forward black-cherry and raspberry fruit and something almost sweet, like cotton candy. At the same time, it’s very tannic, as Grgich Zins tend to be. Your tongue sticks to your palate. Finishes tough and bitter, but should be fine in time.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This Chardonnay and Riesling blend tastes TBA—totally botrytis affected—which it was, resulting in an intensely concentrated sweet wine. With 10% residual sugar, it has apricot nectar flavors and a dessert pastry, lemon chiffon thing going on. Always one of California’s top dessert wines, the ’03 is completely delicious.
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