Seriously Good Wine

Well, last night my wife and I went over my parents' house for some food and wine. I brought along my single vineyard Kunde Estate Zinfandel. My sister was there as well as my Uncle and cousin from Oregon that we'll be visiting in a few weeks. We started out with a magnum of Yellow Tail Chardonnay. For it's price range, this wine is tough to beat. Although after her first sip, my mom described the finish as, "an old soda can taste." After a few minutes there was a nice scent of vanilla on the nose. With dinner we cracked open the 1998 Zin. It had gorgeous bouquet of berries and hints of oak. The flavors on the tongue echoed the scents, with a smooth finish showing only a slight amount of pepper that typically accompanies a strong Zin. Suprisingly, at around %14 alcohol, it wasn't overpowering but had a gentle elegance about it. My dad described it as full-bodied, and we all agreed. I could see this wine be much zestier and a little bit rougher had it been consumed a few years earlier. The bottle age definitely smoother out its edges. This was the second bottle of Kunde I have tasted, the previous being their basic Sonoma Valley Zin. I highly recommend trying any of their Zins, and I will probably seek out one of their Chardonnays for a taste in the future. Till next time..."Wine is bottled poetry"--Robert Louis Stevenson