170. Martinelli, Zinfandel “Giuseppe & Luisa” Russian River Valley Sonoma County, 2002

$75 in wine bar; Mags 2001 $110 each in winery, so…$45-55; 16.6%

So, 2 benchmark Zinfandels on the same page! Both from my San Francisco trip, and visited both wineries, but they’d run out of this and their 2 super-premium Zin cuvées at Martinelli, so we only got to drink this by chance, finding the last bottle in a good wine bar near Union Square! Dante, Tracey and I enjoyed this very much with a cheese plate – especially the St Agur. Medium-dark core of black-garnet with garnet rim. Classic, intense fruit aromas – berry fruits like blue and blackberries. Some jamminess, with a hint of what for me indicates Zinfandel – slightly custardy, vanilla ice cream aromas. Rich, fruity and sweet-spice palate with soft tannin and balancing acidity. Ripe, but not overpowering despite the alcohol! Very nice (although the youthful Rafanelli was more concentrated).