The 2010 Immortal ZIN is 100% Zinfandel sourced from Peirano Estate “old vine” vineyards located in Lodi, California. There is no legal definition for how old, “old vine” grapevines have to be. It is up to the wine producer to decide what their definition of “old vines” is, it could be 35 years old vines or 60 years old, but with Peirano Estates, The Immortal ZIN, “old vines” are from 113 year old head pruned vines (an old school Italian way of pruning the vines) grown in a 300 acre vineyard and winery that has been family owned and operated since the late 1800s. The Zinfandel grapevines are naturally rooted, meaning they are not clones or grafted plants, these are some of the original Zinfandel plants brought to America. Peirano hand picks the best of their Zinfandel grapes for this bottling and after fermentation, this wine was aged in French oak barrels (20% new, the rest reused barrels) for 12 months. They set the wine aside for further aging after bottling, to give the wine extra time for the flavors to peak. The alcohol content 14.8%. That is a lot going on for a wine that sells at the winery for $14 and that I found on sale at a local supermarket for $9.99.
The color is see thru black cherry red with lighter strawberry highlights. The aroma is rich and deep, extracted blackberry, red velvet cake, sweet cherry, french vanilla coffee creamer and dusty Nestle Quik powder. This is a big boy Zinfandel, the flavors are all large and in charge, it starts with raspberry and cherry wrapped in Snickers candy bar chocolate, then tart, almost sour pomegranate. The mid palate ushers in fresh ground black pepper, red plums, a little vanilla and a late blast of Altoids spice. The tannins do not bite and the acidity is well balanced, it shows up on the finish to help it last and last.
If you want real “old vine” Zinfandel, from people who know how to make Zinfandel, at a price that is a bargain at its list price and a down right steal on sale, The Immortal ZIN the wine for you. Bold, but not jammy, nicely complex, but accessible, The Immortal ZIN is not hype, it is the real deal.
