2007 Seghesio Zinfandel Rockpile Vineyard

This is another outstanding Zin from Seghesio, even for the price ($34), and while perhaps not as monstrously exhuberant as their general Sonoma bottling from the 07 year, it proves once again two things: a) Rockpile Zins/Petite Sirahs are our favorites, and b) the 07 vintage seems to just rock across all regions of Cali and across almost all varietals. It's impressive. For this wine, the sipper-sniffer will be rewarded with some patience. So either decant for an hour (now), or give it a few years before opening. There's a great blackberry cobbler core to this Zin, followed by a tidal wave of spice, tanning, fruit-cake and sage. And yet it's not the fruit-club that the Sonoma bottle is, there's an earthiness or loamy note to the nose and the palate that is simply not present in the blended vineyard bottling Seghesio makes. The finish can become a bit muted if it's too cool, so make sure this is at 64 deg F or around there. For us, it's simply an outstanding wine for the price. Am I really going to pay hundreds of dollars for an equivalent wine from France or Italy? (No.)
93/100.
Bottom line: A fantastic effort, again, by Seghesio, in a great year from a great appellation in California.

2007 Seghesio Zinfandel (Sonoma)

I opened our last bottle of this fine Zin last night, as we enjoyed a good portion of reheated lasagna. With that hot, cheesy, bison-spinach-mushroom combination, this Zin was to die for. The 07 bottling of Seghesio's cheapest Zin is well known for being big, and it may have been their finest effort yet: huge fruit, cracked pepper, lingering loam aftertaste. The aromas are enticing from the get-go, jammy, briary, and yet for such a big wine with a good crunch of alcohol, it remains balanced. There's no alkie blow-off, the pH is good, and the acidity is right there at the end to keep you coming back for more. About as good as Zin gets in California, unless the word "Rockpile" is involved. Fantastic. We did have the 2008 a week ago, which was very nice, but had a leaner cranberry edge to it, rather than the forest fruits so prominent in the 07.
94/100 (for us)
Bottom line: I should have bought cases of this!