We are suckers for a good Lodi Zinfandel with a price tag that you can afford often. When a winemaker asked us to preview his new line of wines and said that he would include his $10.99 Lodi Zinfandel, we couldn’t say YES fast enough.
And we were not disappointed. Wildfire Zinfandel is everything you could want in a Lodi Zin, and we consider it to be better than many other non-Lodi Zins which cost as much as $28 per bottle.
This wine starts with a nose that just screams “WOOHOO !!! LODI ZINFANDEL !!!!!!” It is rich with blueberries, cranberries and chocolate. These flavors follow through to the juicy, but not jammy, palate. The fruit is ripe without being sweet, and the finish is all soft, spicy pepper that leaves just the right little zip in the back of your mouth. We had to taste this without benefit of food, but when the question was asked, we all looked at each other and said “Chicken Wings!” at the same time. Our thought was to take the bottle to the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings, but they wouldn’t let us bring it in the door — something about “…liquor laws…” Well, Buffalo Wild Wings gets 0 Stars, but Wildfire Zinfandel gets a provisional 5 Stars — Highest Recommendation and if the price holds when we see it on the shelf, this will be a permanent rating.
