April Wine Club Roundup: “Darker Than Blue Cafe” - and some good Zinfandel

On April 29, 2008 the foodandwineblog.com wine club met up to enjoy upscale yet traditional American cuisine and try our luck with some Zinfandel. We had a great turnout (including many newcomers) and ended up trying three sparkling wines (one Cava, two Prosecco), 8 Zinfandels, and one Petit Sirah (no notes taken!). The food was great as it always is at Darker Than Blue Cafe (read my review here). Huge thanks to Chef/co-owner Casey Jenkins and our server (Hassan) for keeping the food and waters coming! I highly recommend Darker Than Blue Cafe for a comfortable, laid back dinner of traditional American Cuisine. The serving sizes are more than generous (just ask anyone who ordered a roasted chicken or slow-cooked beef ribs!) and the restaurant is BYOB - it is it one of the best BYOB restaurants in the Baltimore area. If the blackened tilapia is on the menu…it’s a must try.

Great job by Krista and Eric (pictured here) in bringing the only Primitivo of the bunch and providing two of the top three wines (actually, great work Krista!). By popular vote, the top three Zins were:

1. 2005 Rosa del Golfo Primitivo: smokey nose, dark fruits, but I thought it fell apart on the finish. We adhere to the rules of democracy though, so this was the overall winner! My rating: 84 pts, PV
2. 2005 Ridge Three Rivers Zinfandel: A solid bottle from one of the best producers of Zinfandel in the world. Notes of dark fruit, chocolate and a touch of spice. My rating: 89 pts
3. 2006 Rabbit Ridge Zinfandel Central Coast: Good concentrated fruit flavors but not jammy with nice acidity and a long finish. My rating: 88 pts

Tasting notes:

2005 Rosa del Golfo Primitivo - $15: Nose of smoked meats and dark fruits. Medium weight on the palate with earth and mineral notes but lacks structure and falls apart. Well-water finish, drinkable but not great. My rating: 84 pts, PV

2005 Bogle Zinfandel Old Vine Zinfandel - $13: Blueberry and plum among other dark fruits. Good structure just a little too much heat on the finish for me. My rating: 85 pts, OKV

2005 Rosenblum North Coast Zinfandel - $12: Blackberry brandy, chocolate and dark fruits on the nose. Loads of dark fruit, touch of spice and earth notes. Good value Zinfandel from one of the biggest producers in California. My rating: 85 pts, OKV

2006 “Sin Zin” Zinfandel Alexander Valley - $10: The label was a crowd favorite, but unfortunately the wine wasn’t! Various red and black fruits, good amount of acidity and pepper notes. My rating: 84 pts, OKV

2005 Cellar Number “8″ Zinfandel - $13: Blackberry, plum, light cedar notes, spice and a touch of black cherry somewhere near the finish. The acidity is good, but a bit off balance. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2006 Rabbit Ridge Zinfandel Central Coast - $15: Concentrated blackberry and dark raspberry notes, pepper and herb notes as well. Good acidity, medium finish. My rating: 88 pts, GV

2005 Zoom Zinfandel Lot 5 North Coast -$12: Ripe blueberry, prune notes with flavors of pepper. medium tannins and medium acidity. My rating: 85 pts, OKV

2005 Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel -$22: Deep plum color. Loads of dark fruit, notes of chocolate, leather, spice. Nothing overly complex or refined, but a good entry-level Ridge wine. My rating: 89 pts, OKV

Other pictures from the night (from right to left: Heather and I finishing off a few drops out the the top bottles; Yashar, Donna, Aubrey and Matt - and my empty seat with the giant slab of ribs!), Aubrey displaying the red velvet cake)