The The County Fair The One Man Band Sonoma County Zinfandel 2010 is a $8.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Made from 80% Zinfandel and 15% Petite Sirah and 5% “other” (if you can find out what the 5% is, you can figure out who made the wine). The wine is produced by HDD LLC and wine group that owns several wineries and vineyards in California and are responsible for many Trader Joe’s exclusive wines. Zinfandel is widely planted in Sonoma County and some of the producers will add Carignane or Sangiovese, along with Petite Sirah, to their Zinfandel. The alcohol content is 14.5%.
The color is a raspberry red with black highlights. The nose is blackberry, coffee with french vanilla creamer and cherry juice. It starts out with rich blackberry and blueberry, followed by black Twizzlers, Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and black cherry. The mid palate brings in some curry spice, vanilla cream, a slight bite from the tannins and a fizzy sensation in the back of your mouth from the acidity. The finish is fairly strong and does linger. This is a Zinfandel that is not drinking badly now, but probably could have benefited from some more aging time in the bottle.
A good tasting, quality Zinfandel from Sonoma County that sells for $8.99 is a very good thing. Rich flavor, nice depth and cheap, what else can ask for. Dust off the BBQ grill and pour yourself a glass.
