With decent weather in the offing for tonight, we decided to cook
outside and made some jerk chicken on the smoker. Jean requested a Zin
with it despite my now-tired observation that an off-dry Riesling would
probably go better with the food. My offering was:

2007 Storybook Mountain Mayacamas Range Zinfandel
nose: initially, intense pencil lead atop of plummy fruit, later subsiding
palate: medium-full, zippy acidity, no sense of overripeness or overt
alcohol

I was looking for a more restrained example of Zin and this wine fit the
bill. As is typical for this producer, the wine displayed good typicity
without veering into overextraction or heat (ABV was 14.6%). And,
crazily enough, the pairing with searingly hot, smoked chicken did bring
out the fruit of the wine without accentuating the alcohol. Go figger!

Mark Lipton

On Monday, June 17, 2013 12:50:31 AM UTC-4, Mark Lipton wrote:
> With decent weather in the offing for tonight, we decided to cook
>
> outside and made some jerk chicken on the smoker. Jean requested a Zin
>
> with it despite my now-tired observation that an off-dry Riesling would
>
> probably go better with the food. My offering was:
>
>
>
> 2007 Storybook Mountain Mayacamas Range Zinfandel
>
> nose: initially, intense pencil lead atop of plummy fruit, later subsiding
>
> palate: medium-full, zippy acidity, no sense of overripeness or overt
>
> alcohol
>
>
>
> I was looking for a more restrained example of Zin and this wine fit the
>
> bill. As is typical for this producer, the wine displayed good typicity
>
> without veering into overextraction or heat (ABV was 14.6%). And,
>
> crazily enough, the pairing with searingly hot, smoked chicken did bring
>
> out the fruit of the wine without accentuating the alcohol. Go figger!
>
>
>
> Mark Lipton

I really like the Storybook Mountain Zins. I would think it would be a good match with jerk chicken.