Bogle Old Vine Zin

2003 Bogle Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel, California appellation, 14.5% ABV, price unknown. Packaged in a tall, antique green bordeaux style bottle and distinctive label. I've enjoyed Bogle Petite Syrah in the past and thought I would give this a try, in part probably because it was attractively priced although I don't remember what the price was. The label says 14.5% ABV and it was at least that. It tasted more like 16% and was woefully out of balance. Extremely intense fruit was over-extracted and over ripe to the point that it tasted like raisins. I am tolerant of bitterness generally, but this wine had an unpleasant and unusually bitter finish. We didn't like it and would not purchase it again.

I had the 2002 in 2004, and found it quite wonderful, with the alcohol in balance. Perhaps the fruit had faded and left the alc exposed? I certainly wouldn't give up on the wine before trying a more recent vintage.

Yeah but an `03 Old Vine Zin should not have changed that much surely?
Should have plenty of stuffing still eh.

Yeah but an `03 Old Vine Zin should not have changed that much surely?
Should have plenty of stuffing still eh.

One certainly would expect so, but I confess that I have never thought of Zin as a wine for aging, but that perhaps because I have not been exposed to age-worthy examples. All of things I expect a Cali Zin would do with age, I'd rather go for a mature Napa Cab.

I've found this wine to vary in the past. I've had a couple of bottles I liked but more often they're too confected for my taste. Don't know if this is vintage variation or bottle variation or what.

I generally find I like their "Phantom" bottling and their chenin blanc more than the zin.

I've tried this wine once-don;t remember the vintage-and my thought was "Alcoholic Welch's Grape Juice" Very confected. If the sweet fruit faded, not sure what would be left????

I like the Bogle OV zins, as well as their PS , Phantom and PN..Not a big fan of their whites tho I haven't tried a Bogle Chenin as yet. I find, however, that you can't let the zin disappear on you in the cellar..ie, you need to drink em young, they don't age well,,get kinda raisiny.. I find them to be at their best up to 4 yrs out, haven't cared for the ones that I drank that were 5 yrs old or older.

Bogle is not famous for their consistency year to year. It can be a decent qpr some years, just considered a quaffer IMHO.