Box Wines
A wine blog with news and reviews of affordable wines

Price: $13
Maker: Toad Hollow Cellars, Paso Robles, California
Varietal: Zinfandel
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.8%
Our Rating: 9 out of 10

Toad Hollow Cellars seems to have our number dialed in. We really liked their Erik’s the Red, and Toad Hollow Cacophony Zinfandel 2006 is at least as pleasing. This Zin starts with black cherry and plum notes, and after this fruity introduction, the flavor explodes with more fruit, spice, and soft tannins. This is the kind of Zin we like - big and bold, with a playful attitude.

I paired this with grilled tenderloins, which proved to be a perfect combination.

According to the Toad Hollow website, “Our fifth release of the Toad Hollow Cacophony Zinfandel is a Paso Robles appellation where the long hot days and chilly nights are just what zinfandel vines thrive upon. The new offering is 92% zinfandel with a smattering of other fun Paso Robles area varietals folded in for additional character, and dare I say, excitement!”

Toad Hollow has a number of other reds, including a Merlot and two Pinot Noirs from the Russian River Valley. Based on my experience with Erik’s “proprietary red” and their Cacophony Zinfandel, I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do with these traditionally lighter reds.

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Price: $12
Maker: McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate, New South Wales, Australia
Varietal: Zinfandel
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.1%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Baron Herzog Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2004 is the first kosher wine that we’ve tried, at least knowingly, and we liked it. It has aromas of berries and smoky leather. The wine is medium to full-bodied and nicely structured. Flavor notes include cherries, dark berries, chocolate, and toasted oak.

The Baron Herzog website says, “These old-vine Zinfandel grapes are taken entirely from gnarly, head-trained vines in the Watts Vineyard. The wine is aged in 30% new and 70% one year old American barrels for six months.”

This isn’t the biggest and boldest Zin we’ve tasted, but it has a lot to offer with its pleasantly complex flavors.

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A couple of months ago, we tried Montevina Zinfandel (specifically, Montevina Sierra Foothills Zinfandel 2003), and dubbed it a nice bargain ($7) with a rating of 8.5. We happened to pick up another bottle on sale for about $5 - an amazing price for a drinkable Zinfandel. Our second tasting mostly confirmed what we found the first time around. This time, we happened to save a half-consumed bottle for the next day with no particular precautions - no argon gas, no decanting into small containers. When we tried the wine the next day, the intensity of the fruit had increased dramatically and my overall impression went up another notch. I can’t guarantee similar results, but it suggests that breathing will really help this wine.

In short, this is definitely a bargain if you like fruity Zinfandels. Give it lots of air, and you’ll be amply rewarded.

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Price: $12
Maker: Ravenswood, Sonoma, California
Varietal: Zinfandel
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.5%
Our Rating: 9 out of 10

Ravenswood Sonoma County Old Vine Zinfandel 2004 was a nice find. It is a full-bodied Zin, leading with intense cherry, raspberry, and plum fruits, then offering chocolate and smoke notes, and moving into a big finish with black pepper, oak, and modest tannins. This is a bold, palate-filling wine, and it would have been a great match with the flavorful and well-seasoned smoked sirloin I had the night before (if only the restaurant had offered it!).

If we have any complaint at all about this yummy wine, it’s that the Ravenswood County Series wines come in very similar-looking bottles. The only distinction is the county of origin, with a few also bearing the “old vine” distinction. This may be a strong branding statement, but the occasional wine drinker or random shelf-browser might well be confused or have difficulty remembering which variation he tried and liked. Stores, too, may hesitate to devote a lot of shelf space to a half-dozen similar-looking Zinfandels. Ravenswood has a page devoted to this wine where you can also sign up for their Zinsider newsletter from their Department of Zinformation. These guys really like their Zins…

In a characteristically well-written set of tasting notes, Style Gourmet declared this Zin “well-made, stimulating to drink, a little brassy and fun, with complexity if you want it.” Rhino Wine Times thought it was “good stuff.” Good stuff indeed!

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Price: $10
Maker: Ernest & Julio Gallo, Modesto, California
Varietal: Zinfandel
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.9%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Gallo Sonoma Reserve Zinfandel 2004 is the second of Gallo’s Sonoma Reserve series we’ve tried lately, and we liked this one just about as much as Gallo Sonoma Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. This Zinfandel has a likable nose of raspberries, spice, and licorice. Its flavor is rounded and fruity, with raspberries and cherries leading the charge, and oak and tannins providing complexity and a fairly long finish. Bold, fruity Zinfandels are one of our favorite categories, and this Gallo wine does a reasonable job of representing that varietal.

We seem to be on a Gallo roll here… we haven’t found many Gallo products we like, but both of the Sonoma Reserve products we’ve tasted lately would be very acceptable at a nice dinner or party. We’ve seen this Zin on sale for well under $10, and at that price it’s real value.

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Price: $15
Maker: Valley of the Moon Winery, Glen Ellen, California
Varietal: Zinfandel
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 15%
Our Rating: 9 out of 10

Valley of the Moon Zinfandel 2004 was a find on a recent trip to a Chicago suburb, where we stumbled across a WineStyles outlet. We’re glad we stopped, because this Zin has a lot going for it. The nose is nice but not overwhelming - berry aromas mixed with oak and vanilla. The wine really explodes on the palate, though. Lush, jammy raspberries and strawberries give this Zin its fruit-forward character, while soft tannins and a bit of oak provide a lengthy finish.

According to the Valley of the Moon website, the winery has been in operation since 1863. At one point in the winery’s history, it was owned by Senator George Hurst, father of William Randolph Hearst. This is a wine that the publishing magnate himself might have been happy to serve his celebrity guests at San Simeon.

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Price: $9
Maker: Bocce Cellars, Graton, California
Varietal: Zinfandel
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.9%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Bocce Zinfandel 2004 features a colorful, old fashioned label that is reminscent of the winery’s history and the Cesar Mondavi’s love of playing bocce. The wine has a pleasant nose with lots of blackberry, licorice, and spice. Its flavor is fruit-forward with cherries and blueberries, and a somewhat tannic finish. With time, the flavor deepened and the finish became longer and more pleasant. This Zin doesn’t excel in any single area - it’s not big, it’s not complex, and the finish is comparatively short - but the overall effect is very, very nice. Bocce Zinfandel is likable and a fine pairing with Marinara-based dishes.

We like the philosphy espoused by a member of the founding family, Rosa Mondavi: “Simply, Rosa believed that when offered wine, a friend or relative was being polite by consuming one glass. Two or three glasses, however, meant the wine was very good and you had truly done your job as a winemaker.” For more information about Bocce Winery and its products, as well as a full set of instructions on how to play the game of bocce, visit the winery’s website.

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Price: $7
Maker: Montevina Winery, Plymouth, Amador County, California
Varietal: Zinfandel
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14.2%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

The winery presents Montevina Sierra Foothills Zinfandel 2003 as a fun, informal wine, describing it as a “perfect complement to everyday celebrations like balanced checkbooks, successfully parked cars, and Wednesday evenings.” (Don’t forget to complete the parking job and exit the car before starting the celebration!) This Zin has a beautiful ruby red color, and a nose with raspberries and licorice. The flavor is nicely structured, with pleasant red berry notes and a long-lasting finish with chewy tannins. A bit more complexity would make this Zin even more attractive, but the structure and fruitiness make for a very pleasant experience.

You might enjoy visiting the Montevina website - it’s a bit heavy on animation and short on content, but worth a look.

This isn’t the most spectacular Zin we’ve tasted, but for under $10 we’d rate it a nice bargain.

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Price: $9
Maker: F. Giordano S.p.A., Diano d’Alba, Italy
Varietal: Zinfandel (Primitivo)
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 14%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Eventus Zinfandel Primitivo 2005 is the second Eventus product we’ve tried, and like its sibling, Eventus Pinot Rose, it’s a simple but pleasing wine. Although the winery’s website shows the label as just “Primitivo,” they note that it’s identical to the American Zinfandel grape. The bottles distributed in the US use both varietals. The nose of this Zin is strong and enticing, mostly berries with some woodiness. The flavor is all blackberries and cherries, with a bit of oak and a lengthy finish. There’s an acidic quality that adds some bite, but not in a bad way. We paired it with juicy T-bones right off the grill, and it was a winning combination.

The Eventus line of wines is nicely packaged - the bottles are slightly frosted to provide a matte finish and they have a deeply embossed circle where the vintage label is applied. The labeling has a metallic foil look, and overall the look is contemporary and elegant. We’ve enjoyed the Pinot Rose and Zinfandel/Primitivo - both of these were simple, fun wines. There are a total of eight varietals in the Eventus series, though we haven’t seen all of them in local distribution.

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Price: $6
Maker: Trader Moon Wine Co., Manteca, California
Varietal: Zinfandel
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 14.5%
Our Rating: 7.5 out of 10

We suspected that Old Moon Old Vine Zinfandel 2005 was related to the makers of Purple Moon Shiraz - the winery names differ, but both are in Manteca, California. Both came from Trader Joe’s, and the “Trader Moon” designation on this one seems like an additional tipoff. This Zin was our first disappointment from our case of inexpensive reds from Trader Joe’s. The nose was fine, with spice and raspberries. The flavor seemed overly plummy, with a bit of spice and a rather weak finish. I expected a bigger wine from a 14.5% alcohol Zin, particularly one designated as being from “old vines.” This Zin didn’t offer the complexity or flavor intensity that one would like from an old vine Zin.

Looking around the Web, it seems that the 2003 vintage was a lot better. The World Wine Weblog found it to be a great, inexpensive Zin. Commenters on that post liked it to, until Jaime M tried the 2005 and found it mediocre. The Seattle Wine Blogger, though, found Old Moon Zinfandel 2005 to be a phenomenal bargain, finding the nose to be particularly appealing:

The wine has an amazing Zin nose of raspberries and spice with hints of vanilla, tobacco, pine and eucalyptus. The aromas virtually jump out of the glass at you…

Overall, Web opinions were mixed on this one, even the 2005. For six bucks, who knows… try it, you might get lucky.

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