June 2007 Wine Tasting Notes.
2005 Tobin James Zinfandel, Dusi Vineyard, Paso Robles.
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This wine is a deep, smoky garnet in the glass. It offers medium intensity aromas of blackberry and currant on the nose. These are accompanied by restrained, lighter intensity briary fruit. Notes of chocolate and vanilla and hints of coffee and anise round the edges and add to the complexity. In the mouth, lighter blackberry and cherry are laced with notes of chocolate and sweet oak and a hint of coffee. Upper medium bodied, with a smooth, polished texture an a balanced structure of acids, tannins and alcohol. A medium length finish offers blackberry and cherry and ends a bit warm. |
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15.4% Alcohol Contact winery for price and availability. Production volume not available. |
Elegant and fine - in the full meaning of the words. The Audrey Hepburn in a little black dress to the 2005 James Gang Reserve's Pamela Anderson. It is alluring and inviting with lots of layers and structure. Pair with complex dishes, venison, and hearty red meats. Expected to drink well for another 8 years. BOTTOM LINE: Outstanding, exceptional, rare and classic. Must-have. |
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| Repeat tasting: None. | |||
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More Tobin James Cellars reviews. More on the Paso Robles AVA |
Production | Grapes | Producer | Vineyard | Vintage
Sourced from Dusi Vineyard in Paso Robles. Cooperage and other production data is unavailable.
Zinfandel is THE grape of California. Initially thought to be of Italian origins, its ancestry has been traced to the crljenak grape (pronounced: tsoorl-YEN-ak), of Croatian origins. Recent DNA analysis demonstrated this and disproved previous beliefs that it originated from the Primitivo grape. Zinfandel and Primitivo are essentially siblings. It has come a long way since its usage as the core of California 'jug wines' and some great varietal Zinfandel wines are now being produced with wines made from old vine fruit coming into the limelight of late. Zinfandel expresses very fruity, jammy raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry, cranberry and black cherry - often with a prickly or briary note. Cinnamon and Licorice may also be seen. (read more)
Indiana native, Tobin (Toby) James founded his eponymous winery in 1994. Having apprenticed at Estrella River Winery, he worked as assistant winemaker for Gary Eberle (after Gary left Estrella to found his own winery) and went on to be the founding winemaker of Peachy Canyon winery. The 71 acre Tobin James property sits at the intersection of highway 46 and Union Road – the location of an old stagecoach stop. In 1996, James partnered with Lance Silver whose main stylistic contribution has been to affect increased intensity of the already award-winning Tobin James wines. Located 8 or 9 miles east of Highway 101 and the town of Paso Robles, the Tobin James property is just east of the Eos and Meridian estates. It is one of the easternmost properties in the AVA. The climate here is on the warmer, drier side of the Paso Robles climate spectrum and soils of the gently rolling land are deep, well draining and loamy containing clay, sand and silt. The vineyard is planted to Cabernet franc, Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel. Sourcing fruit from all over the Paso Robles and adjacent areas, Tobin James produces 30,000 cases annually.
The Dusi name is a part of Paso Robles history. As part of a “Wine Rush” that occurred in the Paso Robles area in the 1920’s, Caterina and Sylvester Dusi purchased their original property in 1924. Theirs is one of six long-standing vineyard names in the Paso Robles area, the others being Busi, Bianchi, Martinelli, Paderewski and Vosti. Currently, what is known as “Dusi Ranch” is comprised of three separate lots straddling Highway 101, three miles south of the town of Paso Robles. This is south of the west stretch of Highway 46 and north of the town of Templeton. The microclimate of the Dusi Ranch consists of hot days countered by cold nights. The nighttime cooling effect comes through the Templeton Gap from the Pacific Ocean approximately 15 miles to the west. The original, 40 acres of now 84-year old head-trained and spur-pruned Zinfandel vines are owned and managed by Benito Dusi, son of Sylvester and Caterina. Dry farmed, these vines are planted at an elevation of 760 feet on rocky, gravelly soils of a gentry rolling landscape, east of highway 101. Benito’s brother, Dante, owns the vineyard on the other side of Highway 101. This is a younger vineyard with only two rows of 60-year old vines and the remainder of the vines no older than 15 years. Michael Dusi, Benito’s nephew, owns the third vineyard of 15 year old zinfandel vines planted adjacent to Dante’s.
The 2005 year saw an increase in crops over the preceding years. The year is being compared to the acclaimed 1997 vintage because of a very long and generally cool growing season without heat spikes. This long season resulted in extended hang times in even temperatures which gave the fruit good extraction but lower sugar levels. The slow ripening of the fruit is expected to make for elegance and balance in the wines of this vintage. Read More
Rating
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Color |
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Nose |
5 points |
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Palate |
3 points |
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Finish |
3 points |
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Tannins |
5 points |
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Acidity |
5 points |
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Alcohol |
5 points |
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Aging potential |
3 points |
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Overall quality |
10 points |
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Cumulative Score: 94 Points
Rating System & Scoring Criteria explained
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