Review: Seghesio Marian's Reserve 2007 Alexander Valley Red Table Wine

It's been awhile since ZinfanHubby & I have cracked into a Seghesio. We received a club shipment not too long ago and while entertaining guests the other night, decided to pull one out. Our options were either the Marian's Reserve or a Four Vines; having recently opened a Four Vines, Seghesio won out (clearly there was a lack of ZinfanLogic here, as we are going to Templeton this weekend and will surely stop at Four Vines). C'est la vie & stuff.

34% Zinfandel, 33% Petite Syrah (it shows!) and 33% Carignane, this wine packs a punch at a whopping 15.5% alcohol/volume. OK, math lesson over. Maybe ZinfanGirl has become overly sensitive to alcohol over the years, but the boozy-burning scent comes through almost as strongly as the jam of the Zin. As mentioned, the wine looks like a PS: practically purple & inky (in fact, having saved the bottle, I notice a small drip down the white label and it is blue. No exaggeration). Tannins throughout the taste, but they don't suck the moisture out of your mouth too much. The finish is clean and smooth, with a touch of fruit. Drinking this wine makes me want steak. I can't really ID any specific fruit, but the fruitiness is definitely there. This wine is nice: nothing memorable, but that works both ways, yeah?

Clearly ZinfanGirl has *some* fond memories of Seghesio...

Gettin' some ♥ZinfanLove♥ at Seghesio- July '07 (thanks to my ZinfanFriend Lindsey for the pic!)

Review: Wine Tycoon

ZinfanGirl considers herself fortunate that she does not tend to get sucked into time-consuming mindless games. She does not think twice about blocking Farmville invites on Facebook, and rarely picks up a video game controller (except Rock Band. She does love Rock Band). But she has always loved controlling things, which explains her lifelong love of the Sims games. So imagine her delight when a Sims-like game for wine-os hit the shelves...

Many hours were played, many liters of wine bottled, many regions of France explored. So why oh why does this game suck so bad?!

Any wine tycoon, real or fictional, can sum this up in one word: bugs. A freeze here, a glitch there-- these are all forgiveable flaws. I understand that Wine Tycoon is not backed by some game giant like Electronic Arts and therefore shouldn't be compared to such multi-million dollar standards. But y'know, when playing a game, I kind of take for granted that I'll be able to save. I have yet to be able to do so in Wine Tycoon. Sure the Save Game menu is there. It's right next to the Load Game menu. But type in a name, click "save" and try, just TRY to find it again. Good luck.

I did enjoy playing around the various regions of France (yes, the game is based entirely in France). Naturally my heart fluttered when, in the description of Champagne, I saw my former town of Troyes mentioned by name. Having an interactive outlet to help me memorize learn about different French varietals, wines and regions is really great. For a lower-budget game, the graphics aren't bad. I amused myself for hours trying to earn enough money to pay my workers, buy the best equipment possible, and protect my grapes from the Four Ills of Wine Tycoon: Pests, Overgrowth, Weeds and Soil Infertility.

So much potential, it breaks my ZinfanHeart. Aside from the Save issue (seriously, I still can't wrap my head around that one), there are a few other bugs. For instance, while playing in the Burgundy region, I got a request to sell some St Aubin, aged 2 years. Yet in the "Blending" section of the game, it is impossible to age St. Aubin. "Some wines should not be aged," it says. True enough, but then why, dear Wine Tycoon, are you ASKING for it?! In the "Career Mode" option, I am only able to play in Alsace. Other bugs include: some wines having $0 value (I had a batch of wine X-- forget which one it was-- and I would be asked to sell this wine for $0 no matter how great/small the quantity), some vineyards being unresponsive to treatments (yet they grew just fine anyway), and the mysterious hiring of workers (no, dammit, I said ONE bottler!). So, that's my technical opinion.

I was also bummed about not being able to participate more in the growing process. You pick a vineyard, pick a grape to plant, and that's it. But as most wine-o's know, there's much more to it than that. Vines on top of a hill are different than wines grown below. Direction plays a role too. And ZinfanGirl can attest first-hand that the weather is not uniform throughout France, which Wine Tycoon leads you to believe. It does not snow often in Provence, so please stop making it look like Christmastime in Troyes.

While there is different equipment you can buy for each step of the wine making, the only thing differentiating them is price, production and size. Barrels are barrels, no wood or steel. I know there are different presses on the market too. And why lump all "weeds" and "pests" together? Give the noble rot some love, yo!

So, my bottom line: Is it worth $20? I have certainly made stupider purchases in my lifetime. In the grand scheme of things, $20 isn't much for a few hours' of mindless entertainment-- hell, that's cheaper than a movie ticket + popcorn, and unlike going to the movies you can play Wine Tycoon naked from the comfort of your own home. But don't get your hopes up: other than a concise lesson on French wines, this game will not fulfill your dream to be a Wine Tycoon. Sorry, kids. They tried. They really did.

Wine Tycoon by Got Game Entertainment

P.S.- I do have an email in to their customer support about the Save issue. I will post back here ASAP if/when I get a response.

I am a Wine Tycoon!

Dear readers,

ZinfanGirl cannot come to her blog right now. She is too busy being a Wine Tycoon. She recognizes she will have to stop ragging on her Farmville-addicted friends because Wine Tycoon isn't very different. Or is it?

Review to come once all the grapes have been successfully killed off harvested.

Sincerely,
WineTycoonGirl

Review: 2006 Ridge “Old School” Zinfandel

Maybe ZinfanGirl is easily influenced by the name, but this zin had “old vine” written all over it. Well, that’s half correct. “Two of the four chosen parcels contain nineteenth-century vines, two were planted in the 1960s,” reads the label. Hm. Tastes more old vine to me, but who am I to argue with Ridge? ;)

This wine is a clear red, more garnet than ruby (I need to discover more red gemstones; I feel all my reviews regarding color refer to at least one of these two stones). Must be the 15% Carignane, because surely 2% Petite Sirah isn’t enough to affect the color (PS would make it more inky anyway).

Spice, spice, spice… and fruit, of course, but I think spice wins this one. I detect a hint of licorice as well. The palate and back are nice, but there isn’t much to the front. Perhaps I should left this one on the ZinfanRack for a spell? Too late now!

Another good Ridge wine, but nothing special. With respect to the wine, perhaps I should have waited a bit to open but. But it claims to be delicious now (and it is), and once again… who am I to argue with Ridge?
Zin out,
-ZFG

For more info, visit Ridge Old School Zinfandel

Review: 2007 Ravenswood Mendocino County Zinfandel

First of all, apologies for the less-than-great picture. Second of all, my bottle of Ravenswood’s Mendocino zinfandel is in a *green* bottle—does the one in the picture not look clear to you? And by clear I guess I really mean colorless... anyway, I digress.

Ravenswood's wine maker describes this wine as “very Mendocino.” Not being too familiar with wines from the Mendocino region, I will take his word for it. I’m guessing he means that the cooler weather makes wines from here a bit different than their usual Sonoma juice. There’s only one way to find out…

The blue-red hue conjures up images of rubies. My first sip of this tangy yet berry-forward wine brings to mind one distinct flavor: strawberry fruit Roll-ups. The mild tannins are noticeable, but they work well to balance out the front & back while still preserving the berry goodness that is Zinfandel.

So, Mendocino, I may just have to pay you a visit one of these days. Up for a new ZinfanFriend?

For more info, visit Ravenswood Mendocino Co. Zinfandel

Review: 2007 Four Vines “Sophisticate” Zinfandel

Every time I write about Four Vines, I feel compelled to once again thank Brandy at Donati Family for the recommendation. Seriously Brandy, THANK YOU from the bottom of my little ZinfanHeart.

Imagine my delight when, just one month after joining the Four Vines Incident, our first shipment arrived. Sophisticate is unlike any zin I’ve ever tasted. It is delectable to all the senses. The color instantly reveals that this zin has been fooling around with a bit of Petite Sirah: dark ruby with a slight blue-purple tint. The nose is slightly sweet, but not jammy-sweet like most zins; nay, Sophisticate smells a bit like caramel and a bit like licorice. The sensory pleasures continue into the mouth: tangy front, an almost candy-like (but not saccharine) back, and a sensuous finish. I swear it tasted a bit like coconut; Four Vines claims it’s “vanilla oak.” Whatever it is, it’s not traditionally zin-like, but it works.

Four Vines, you’re too good to me.


For more info (but no buying-- Sophisticate is sold out!) Four Vines Sophisticate Zinfandel

Report: Livermore Left Intact

Might I pat myself on the back for introducing yet another wine tasting virgin to my scene. We three girls had a fabulous time exploring my new favorite part of the East Bay: lunching, wine-ing, and enjoying the fantastic Livermore sunshine!

We started off with a delicious lunch at Wente's restaurant. We ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (not Wente's-- is that a faux pas? Oh well.) and it was hands down the best Sauvignon Blanc I have had in a really, really long time. Brophy Clark 2006, Santa Ynez Valley, Valley View Sauvignon Blanc. In fact, just blogging about it reminds me that I best look it up & order some online if need be! Once again, a Wente treated us to a spuerb meal and wonderful service, right down to writing "Happy Birthday" in chocolate on Kelly's crème brûlée.

Happy birthday, wine tasting newbie! @the Restaurant at Wente

Well, since there's a tasting room just a few feet away... off we go!  Being the former sorority girls that we are, we decided we had to have a color theme (red) and wear boas. Birthday girl Kelly got a tiara. We were quite the festive sight!

@Wente vineyards (I appear to have sweated off my make-up).

My comrades were pleased that Wente accomodated their desire for only white wines. How can I be friends with a couple of Reisling lovers is beyond me. As DD, I couldn't even finish off their red wine rejects. Alas, not everyone is as red wine savvy as ZinfanGirl!

Next up was White Crane. What a little gem! They were offering something like 9 tastes for $5-- wowzers! And like any good winery, this was waived with any purchase. We arrived uncertain of where the tasting was. Could it be that little wooden shed just past the vines? That was when we heard the singing...

Our red-clothed, feather-adorned selves entered just as the singing finished. We immediately received remarks about our boas. After explaining that it was Kelly's birthday, the entire winery launched into a (second) round of, "Happy Birthday!" The vibe in that little tasting room was friendly, fun and welcoming-- always good traits, in my Zinfan-pinion. And it's always a rare treat to start your tasting with a sparkling wine-- double points for that, White Crane!

Boas, tiaras & red, oh my! @White Crane

After consulting our trusty map (I'm on the verge of brekaing up with my GPS-- seriously, don't get me started), we found that another recommended winery, Charles R, was just down the road. ZinfanHubby's good friends told us they like Charles R because it is "off the beaten path." They were not joking. I had faith that the Horace-mobile could make it down this gravelly dirt road, and was not disappointed (Horace, like ZinfanGirl, would never let some dirt & rocks interfere with wine).

Literally, off the beaten path! @Charles R Vineyards

Charles R had an interested Chardonnay called Sur Lies, a method which uses less batonnage to bring out the fruit flavors. I knew immediately what this meant even before the lady held the bottle up for my friends to see. "Ewww!" was the (predicted) reaction to the sight of sediment floating in the bottle. ZinfanGirl, however, found it interesting. Dredges & sediment, while not ideal, are just something you deal with in the wine world. Like having to scoop poop if you own a cat, it just comes with the territory (not to insinuate that ZinfanGirl would ever swallow cat poop. Just sayin'.). Our visit to Charles R concluded with Deena's pink melted frosted birthday cupcakes outside in their lovely little picnic area.

Thanks to Kelly for the photos. I better actually, you know, make sure she's OK with me posting them on here.