I see Rosenblum Vintner's Cuvee Zinfandel at most wine retailers. It's a non-vintage wine (with bottlings designated by Roman numerals) that has long been a staple value-priced Zinfandel. Since the family winery was purchased a few years ago, by Diageo, an international wine and spirits giant, I haven't paid as much attention to the brand.
I was inspired to do so by freelance wine writer and blogger W. Blake Gray … The Gray Market Report.
On December 20, 2010, Blake wrote about a couple of Rosenblum wines. Both reviews peaked my interest. Blake Gray's reviews:
Rosenblum Carla's Reserve Contra Costa County Zinfandel 2007 ($35) This used to be a vineyard designate; now it's a "reserve." Why? K-Mart bought half the vineyard to build a parking lot, and Rosenblum, which has access to the neighboring vineyard, is hedging its future by changing the name now. Try this now; the blackberry fruit is so juicy that I felt like I could taste the blackberry seeds. Great acidity and nice savory notes of toasted almond and sea salt, with a hint of slate in the aroma. 15.6% alcohol. 90
Rosenblum Maggie's Reserve Sonoma Valley Zinfandel 2007 ($45) Cofermented with 2.5% whole cluster Semillon, an interesting technique that leads to a layered wine -- black currant, toast, alcohol -- that comes across as disjointed. 15.8% alcohol. 87
My three peaks of interest:
1. Regarding the Carla's Reserve Zinfandel: There are a number of old vine Contra Costa vineyards that are being devoured by suburban and commercial expansion. Check out my Steampunk Wines post HERE. I want to learn more about this vineyard. Also, I'm interested in the wine marketing challenge of how you name a wine that has a following, as its source vineyard goes away.
2. Regarding the Maggie's Reserve Zinfandel: Co-fermented with Semillon? I understand a little about co-fermentation, and often hear about Syrah being co-fermented with a small amount of Viognier. But Syrah and Viognier are classic grapes from the same part of France (Rhone River valley). What does Semillon have to do with Zinfandel, and why did the winemaker think this was a good idea? I want to know more.
3. Why wouldn't Diageo share more information about its wines on the Rosenblum website? I went to RosenblumCellars.com and was surprised to find almost no information about the wines. I did learn that Rosenblum currently has eighteen different Zinfandels on offer, but that was about all. Is detailed information about Rosenblum wine some kind of trade secret? I really don't understand why a winery would hold information and images about its products behind closed doors (you have to apply for wine trade access). Must be some big corporation thing. Thank you, Diageo.
In any case, it's nice to remember that even corporate wineries can still make lots of interesting wines. Eighteen different Zinfandel bottlings!
DAH is David Anthony Hance at ZinSite.com and SteampunkWines.com
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