Vintage designations are important for higher end wines. Knowing what vintage yielded the harvest provides important clues as to the quality of the wine. Weather patterns greatly impact the quality and hang-time for grapes. All of these things are true – but for wines in the value-priced category there are other more important factors. The most important of which is the quality of the grapes going into the wine. Low quality wines in the best years are still low quality wines. However, if a vintner is able to purchase good quality grapes, the year is irrelevant.
One shining example is Rosenblum Cellars Vintner's Cuvée XXXI Zinfandel, California. This wonderful, inexpensive zinfandel is made by one of California’s best zinfandel producers, and is a blend of grapes covering several different vintages. Which vintages you ask? I have no idea. What I do know is that Cuvée XXXI features raspberry and black cherry flavors, with spice and vanilla. It is on the heavy side of medium-bodied, and has just the right amount of acidity to stand up to food. It is simply tasty, and wouldn’t be suddenly better if they put the vintage on the label.
And, at $9, this wine is a Plonk favorite. No shoes, shirt or vintage required…
Best, Joe Plonk
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