Napa Valley

It's time for another of my favorites, once again coming from Ravenswood. This time it's the 2006 Napa Valley Zinfandel that's put up to the test.

As stated before, I'm a fan of Zinfandels, they're just perfect for my palate. This isn't of the Old-Vine variety, but it is very good regardless. Since it's also a wine from Ravenswood, you can be sure that it's a great wine as they never make bad ones. (Some might say I'm forgetting about the Vintners Blend now, but I am certain that it is just something that the competitors put out in Ravenswood's name, just to hurt their reputation).

That being said, the qualities of this wine in and of itself must also be commented upon. As most other wines of this kind, it goes very well with food. Last time this accompanied me during a meal, we had a barbeque consisting of ribs, pork, corn and accessories; and the wine did its job. As for drinking alone, it doesn't reach quite the same zenith as with food, but it still gets the job done, and is a wine that should be opened in the beginning of the evening, not the end.

Summarizing this wine, we end up with one that can be drunk alone, but preferably with food (and friends, we have to learn to share and play well with others, or we may end up as a certain former US president, and we don't want that debacle again...). It isn't quite perfect, but it is one that will certainly be a hit if you introduce someone to it.

The 2006 Ravenswood Napa Valley Zinfandel thus receives an 8.5/10

Robert Vic

This wine is one that came onto the table at the end of an evening of good wine, so those wines generally have a reputation for not being as good as certain other wines. After having about a bottle of wine inside, you don't want to open up one in which your tongue needs to be able to discern between the subtleties of flavor, and your brain needs to be razor sharp in order to place the origin of the wine. (Come to think of it, this never happens anyway, but the point is, don't waste good wine when you're already drunkish).

Anyway, this is sort of a mild wine, both in smell and taste. Relatively fruity, but easily drinkable, so it functions well for its purpose. Having this three-liter hand-bag of wine will not let you down, and is good for all sorts of cooking with wine, regardless if you need it in the food or not.

All in all, not the best wine, but it certainly receives a 7/10.