A Big Slice Wine of the Month - November 2006
For November, it had to be American and it had to be Big! Keep reading to find out which wine won in Ted's Cellar.
When choosing our selection for the month of November, we knew two things. One, it had to be American. After all Thanksgiving is the all-American holiday. And two, it needed to be big. We wanted a wine that could hold its own in the taste brawl that is Thanksgiving Dinner. We found a big American wine, and how! Ravenswood 2003, Old Vines Zinfandel is no shrinking violet, but will compliment everything from gravy to green bean casserole. And at $15 a bottle is quite a value.
So, let's look at the Vinicode™ for this wine.
Sweet to Dry: 8
Little to no residual sugar. We almost gave this a 9 but then we thought of some of the Alsatian Rieslings that we have had. This is dry but not Riesling dry.
Edged to Rounded: 6
It was rounded but not as much as the Rancho. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. We see this wine as being able to hold its own in a Thanksgiving feast. It will not roll over and play dead.
No Oak to Oak: 3
Now this is a perfectly oaked wine. You can detect a hint of oak on your palate. In this case, oak is a condiment. The overall effect was a lovely cedar/spiciness which contributed to its earthiness.
No Fruit to Fruit: 8
This wine has a wonderfully fruity character. It abounds in blackberries, plums and figs.
No Earth to Earth: 8
This is the type of Zinfandel that we all know and love. We detected cloves, licorice and cinnamon. A flavor to savor.
Light to Full Bodied: 9
We debated on this value and finally decided to give it a 9 in this category. This wine had a weighty mouth feel associated with its alcohol percentage, but that was well matched by the weight of its flavor and its texture. The perfect holiday choice - and a great price!
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