Cline 2008 Zinfandel

Reviewing Zins can be a bit tricky. The chief obstalce lies in the fact that they can literally be all over the map in flavor. Here is what one winemaker had to say about Zin: “Zinfandel is always structured but can vary from dry to sweet and from a light to a heavier full-bodied red. The wine tends to exhibit a dark purple hue with hints of strawberry, plumb, raisin, spice, leather, and tar.  Zinfandel has a mouth-filling characteristic that is sometimes described as being jammy or chewy.” Unfortunately, the 2008 Cline Zinfandel is none of these things. If I wanted a sweet light red I could almost see through, I wouldn’t have bought a California Zin. And unfortunately, that’s what the Cline delivers.  My second glass, 15 minutes after the first, opened up a bit, but not nearly enough. Bottom line: save the $9 this wine goes for and if you really have a hankering for a super fruity and not so drinkable wine, buy a brown paper bag and insert the cheapest bottle of Boone’s Strawberry you can find.  My guess is you won’t be able to tell the difference.

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