The Wine Thieves Premier Zin Tasting: Z.I.T., Zinfandel Imbibers & Thieves

Z.I.T.  (Zinfandel Imbibers & Thieves)

Every year in January the Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) Festival is held at Fort Mason.  This is a great event for Thousands of wine enthusiasts to taste hundreds of great zinfandel wines.  This year however, Wine Thieves thought it'd be fun to host their own little celebration of California's "heritage" grape.

So Wine Thieves created Z.I.T. (Zinfandel Imbibers & Thieves).  The event was held January 25^th at their Lafayette store, had wines from 30+ producers and featured food from Bo's Barbecue, one of Lafayette's little treasures.

What a smashing success!  Everyone seemed to have either a wine glass in one hand or a BBQ rib in the other but all had smiles on their faces.  And the wines were tremendous.  This is an event that you should not pass up next year. My favorite Zins included:

• St Francis "Pagani Vineyard":  Chewy, fragrant with raspberry and cherry flavors and aromas.
• Hawley "Ponzo Vineyard":  Soft and juicy with a peppery and berry nose
• Seghesio Sonoma County:  Well-defined berry aromas and the full rich aftertaste
• Medusa "Pig Pen":  Cherry and flower aromas, a broad and rich flavors, finishing with a slight alcoholic warmth with tannins.
  And my favorite
• Karly "Warrior Fires":  Anise on the nose, a big flavors with a heavy peppercorn finish.