Gnarly Head Gnarlier Head Old Vine Zinfandel 2005

Dry Creek Valley, California, United States
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Natalie's Score: 91/100 Community Score: 4.6/5 Community Reviews: 2 Add My Review Product #: 67785 Wine Type: Red Wine	Price: $27.75 Drink: Now Sweetness: Extra Dry Bottle size: 750 ml Winery: Gnarly Head
More Vintages: 2006

Note: I publish batches of reviews that I call Good Values Wine Picks. These are from the regular section of the liquor store rather than the Vintages section, and tend to be lower priced and the most widely available of all wines. The last four reviews I did were: March 7, January 4, December 16 and November 20.

Tasting note:

Dry Creek Valley is nestled between the Pacific Ocean-exposed Sonoma Coast and Alexander Valley. It is one of the northern-most AVAs in Sonoma and benefits from both inland and coastal influences. Like Alexander Valley, it has hotter daytime temperatures. Like Russian River Valley to the southwest, it has cooling coastal fog in the morning and the evenings. The grapes for Gnarlier Head Zin were hand-harvested over three days from a single vineyard. After two weeks fermentation, the wine was pressed off into French and American oak barrels and malolactic fermentation, which balances acidity and adds richness to the wine. The wine spent a total of 14 months in small oak barrels before being carefully racked and blended into the finished Gnarlier Head Old Vine Zin. A full-bodied red with concentrated aromas of black plums, cloves and blackberries. Food matches: blackened snapper, pizza, grilled portobello, mushrooms, pepper steak.

Reviewed July 15, 2008 by Natalie MacLean

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Serve this wine between 60-65 degrees Farenheit or 15-18 degrees Celsius.

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