Varietal: Zinfandel
Region: California – USA
Cost: $10
Deep purple in color with an abundance of fruit on the nose. Â Subtle flavors with plum being the most prominent and a hint of pepper and alcohol on the finish. Â Pairs with BBQ, pizza, and pasta.
Recommendations: I had seen Gnarly Head on various store shelve and never picked it up, but my wife and I decided on this as we thought a Zinfandel sounded good, and the price was too good to pass on. Â Aromas of fresh fruit were prevalent on the nose, but not on the palate, where the flavors were subtle, with hints of plum.
A pepper finish had just a slight bit of alcohol, a very small bite considering the wine is 14.5% by volume. Â Paired with a pizza, this was a perfect wine. Â If you’re looking for something with a bit more pepper you might want to pass on this, but for a nice middle of the road Zinfandel to pair with a simple dinner, you really can’t miss with the Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel – especially for the price.
Find Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel Here
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Looks like you and I had somewhat similar experiences with this wine. The fruit disappeared rather quickly on the palate. Here is my recent review: http://www.vinegeek.com/2009/09/lodi-old-vines-zin-part-3-gnarly-head/
I think a better deal is the Ravenswood Lodi Old Vines Zin 2006 (also reviewed on my blog).