With decent weather in the offing for tonight, we decided to cook outside and made some jerk chicken on the smoker. Jean requested a Zin with it despite my now-tired observation that an off-dry Riesling would probably go better with the food. My offering was:
2007 Storybook Mountain Mayacamas Range Zinfandel nose: initially, intense pencil lead atop of plummy fruit, later subsiding palate: medium-full, zippy acidity, no sense of overripeness or overt alcohol
I was looking for a more restrained example of Zin and this wine fit the bill. As is typical for this producer, the wine displayed good typicity without veering into overextraction or heat (ABV was 14.6%). And, crazily enough, the pairing with searingly hot, smoked chicken did bring out the fruit of the wine without accentuating the alcohol. Go figger!
Mark Lipton