This wine is one of the wines by the glass at Keg restaurants. Unfortunately it is not available at the LCBO. You can pay an importer to bring it in, but you can only bring in a case at a time. It’s tempting to just bring in a whole case. I really enjoy this Zinf. This is a smack dab in the middle Zinf. It is slightly jammy, slightly oakey, nice fruit with a medium finish. All in all this is a very food friendly wine. The Keg is well known for their steaks and I often pair this wine with a Keg steak. Makes for a yummy evening. The wine has been very consistent over the years. Splurge and get the 9 oz glass and you will be even more of a happy camper!
As is common with most California Zinf’s this is a field blend of many different grapes. In case you don’t know, field blend means that grape types are intermingled in the fields. When they pick they get a mix of all the different grapes.
Did you know that that Zinfandel and the Italian Primitivo are the same grape? The major difference is one of style. In California they field blend while in Italy they make it only with Primitivo grapes.
From the J. Lohr website: Painter Bridge Zinfandel 2007
The 2007 Painter Bridge Zinfandel comes from a mix of seven Zinfandel vineyards in Paso Robles and Lodi blended with a spicy lot of Paso Robles Syrah, and a smattering of potent fruit from Grenache Noir, Petite Sirah and Valdiguié. Each vineyard lot of Zinfandel is fermented separately, extracting the nuances of each individual growers fruit with an eye towards suppleness of texture.
The stylistic goal of Painter Bridge Zinfandel is to emphasize the tremendous red fruit characters of the Zinfandel grape without overpowering the delicacy of the fruit with oak. The Syrah blended into the Zinfandel contributes a spice component that accentuates and broadens the resultant wine.
Technical Data Vintage: 2007 Origin: Paso Robles and Lodi
Alcohol: 12.94% alcohol by volume Residual Sugar: 0.43 g/100ml
Maturation: Tank and barrel for 9 months
Winemaker’s Comments:
The 2007 Painter Bridge Zinfandel shows great color density with youthful garnet red hues. The aromas are ripe red fruits of raspberry, black currant and strawberry preserves with black tea, white and black pepper spice. The palate delivers a fruity, plump, yet supple wine with some spicy Zinfandel pepperiness. Enjoy with pasta puttanesca, pizza or grilled meats.
