By Rob Bralow, Wine Post Editor
It is possible to over-do a wine. I think that is what happened with the 2007 St. Francis Old Vines Zinfandel. I was excited by the nose, with some cranberry, and even a spicy note that I thought was fresh cut horseradish (one of my favorite smells... yup, I am a little weird). However, there was also a heavy blanket of butterscotch and caramel, indicating that this wine had seen some oak.
I did not really know how much oak until I tasted the wine. The initial taste of the wine was all sweet raspberry that faded quickly into an extremely dry finish. I wanted more fruit or at least more of a balance between fruit and the structure. That said, just the other day I had a customer ask me for this wine specifically in the store. Always interesting to see what people's tastes are. That is what makes
Disclaimer: I received this wine as a press sample.
