We have been fans of the Syrahs of Lagier-Meredith for the past few
years, having visited them atop Mt. Veeder and tasted their wines along
with the home-cured olives of Prof. (Emer.) Carol Meredith, co-owner of
the winery with her husband Steve Lagier. In a recent mailer, they
offered not only their latest Syrah but also a new release, a joint
venture with their neighbors at Potts called "Chester's Anvil," an old
vine Zinfandel from another neighbor's vineyard. Today, we got our
shipment, so I opened up a bottle:

2007 Chester's Anvil Zinfandel
nose: sappy, pencil lead, a hint of new oak, tart red berry fruit
palate: medium body, taking on depth with air, bright acidity, deep fruit

Much in the vein of the recently opened Unti Zin, this wine displayed
the fruit and varietal character of Zin, but had fine acidity and
remained light on its feet. It showed a bit of alcohol, which isn't
surprising at 15.5% ABV, but carefully avoided any sense of
overextraction or heaviness. This was very much in the vein of Nalle,
Dashe and other proponents of food-friendly Zin. Highly recommended at
$24.00 retail.

Mark Lipton
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