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.