BALLENTINE ZINFANDEL OLD VINES BLOCK 11 - 2004

Block 11 is in a special area of the famed Pocai Vineyard. The grapes grown here spend 10 months in older French and American Oak barrels. The wine is 95% Zinfandel and 5% Syrah.

TASTING NOTES:

Excellent blackberry and jam flavors with tremendous aromas of creamy, silky, vanilla. The lush vanilla is also present on the finish along with toasty oak and a bit of cherry. This is a delightful wine that has a whopping 16.7% alcohol, but it has no effect on the dominant berry flavors.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS
This is a very good Zinfandel. I kept smelling the glass over and over again. The vanilla notes were delightful. It retails for $25 a bottle, but it is significantly better than the Block 9.