Plungerhead Old Vine Zin 2010 (California)

Cool label and a funky name, though certainly pushing the gimmicky angle. It has a Zork closure. This was my first encounter with a Zork (a revolutionary new wine closure with the convenience of a screw cap and the celebration of a cork.) Plungerhead is an unlikely name for a wine, but then the vintners, The Other Guys (an branch of the Sebastiani winery family) think wine should be fun. I have to agree!

This wine hales from the Lodi region of California coming from low yielding, head trained, old vines (30 – 60 years old) in Lodi. In fact, the selection for Plungerhead comes from only four select blocks in a specific vineyard, farmed for maximum Zinfandel flavor.

This wine is deep dark crimson red in color with an aggressive nose of creamy red berries, blueberry, black current and hints of sweet tobacco, molasses and nutmeg. On the palate this wine layers the big dark fruit sensation in every sip, it is a monster of a wine for a great price. Blueberry, raspberry with a touch of sweet cocoa powder, cedar and cinnamon. Big and full bodied like a good old vine zin should be with no harsh tannins, smooth and supple and easy to drink. The finish is nice, quite lengthy with a lingering bit of mocha, toasted marshmallow and dried cranberry. A great wine for a BBQ, beef, pork and brats.