Price: $15
Maker: Ravenswood, Sonoma, California
Varietal: Zinfandel
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10
Ravenswood Zen of Zin 2004 is an OK Zin that isn’t huge, but may satisfy the typical red wine drinker . Its nose is a nice blend of dark berries and spice. The flavor is a bit oaky, but there is a good balance of blackberry and tannins. Zen of Zin isn’t extremely fruity like some Zins, and it doesn’t offer the smoky complexity we like… still, its structure partially makes up for the fact that it’s not an entirely typical Zinfandel. The finish is big, spicy, and long-lasting. In short, this wine starts and ends well, but on the palate it’s a bit lacking.
Zen of Zin is from Ravenswood Winery, though we couldn’t learn much about the wine from the Ravenswood website. Oddly, despite careful searching, it didn’t seem to be listed among their various offerings. Even the listings they did offer were kind of sketchy – we really like the sites that offer a data sheet for each wine, with background information, the winemaker’s tasting notes, reviews and awards, etc. We were able to find some opinions from bloggers, though. Dewayne from Missouri really hated it:
From the get go I thought that this wine was horrible. The only thing I can say in kindness was that it had a gentle fruit nose. That was it, the mouth was diluted and the finish was lacking. I would be pissed off if I had bought this wine for even $8. The only thing this may be good for is vinegar.
Neil Drinks Wine gave it a qualified thumb up: “I guess if you were just sitting around with friends and drinking some wine this would make an okay amuse bouche before breaking out the good stuff.” We liked the wine more than Dewayne – I suspect a bad bottle, it doesn’t sound like the same stuff at all. Still, for the same or lower price, we’d opt for So Zin or Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel. You can probably find both of those for a few bucks less than Zen of Zin, and both deliver a bigger Zin flavor. And it’s been a year since we tasted it, but Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin would be a good choice in the same price range.
I’m not sure why the reviews on this site are so unfavorable.
Zen of Zin is a nice value.
The color is rich, like black cherry
There is a strong burst of flavor, which lingers long enough to satisfy and ends cleanly.
It would complement a flavorful meal very well.
Over all it is better than most similarly priced red wines.
I would concurr with Mr. Doyle.
If big, jammy, lip-smaking, fruit-driven Zin is what you’re looking for, I strongly reccommend looking elsewhere. However, this is not to say that the Zen of Zin is flawed in any way–merely a different style than most are used to.
The Zen Of Zin would be what I call a more elegant Zin. Lighter, more balanced flavors, with nothing taking precedence over anything else. A fruit-bomb it most certainly is not, but for those looking to try something different that still has most of the typical varietal characteristics of Zin, it should be a real treat. I found it delightful.
If you want a “big, jammy, lip-smacking, fruit-driven” Zin, I might recommend Santa Barbara Winery Lafond Vineyard Zinfandel—if you can find it. Their website is sold out, but I have seen it on indy wine websites. (I am not a SB Winery employee, just a big fan). The SB Zin is a bit “hot” due to its high alcohol content, but is about as deep and full bodied as they come.
Zen of Zin is good, but not a traditional Zin. If you want a traditional jammy Zin, don’t get an old-vine.