Godzilla wrote:
> Last night, we made a simple marinated broiled flank steak with hash brown
> potatoes, and asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto, sprinkled with grated
> Asiago and good Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Not bad, if I do say so. ;-)
>
> With it, I opened a Folie a Deux 2003 Amador County Zinfandel.
> I was impressed with the forward plum and cherry nose and the pepper and
> spice overtones. The body was almost syrupy, with glycerides running down
> the glass. On the Davis scale, I would give it a 17 plus.

I believe that '03 was the last vintage overseen by Scott Harvey at
Folie a Deux (before its purchase by Sutter Home). Scott has been one
of the foremost advocates of Amador County Zinfandel for decades now,
and he retained access to the Grandpere vineyard even after his
departure from Renwood. I doubt that more recent Folie a Deux Zins will
measure up to the one you had.

>
> I am constantly amazed at how many styles are being created from the
> Zinfandel grape. The only ones that I actively dislike are when the
> winemaker attempts to reproduce a Claret. Why? why? Why?

Can you give a few examples of this style? To me, the most Claret-like
Zin I can think of is probably made by Storybook Mountain, but I happen
to quite like it. Perhaps you're thinking of a different style, though.

Mark Lipton