Review: 2017 Artezin Zinfandel Mendocino County
With Artezin’s 2018 bottling of its Mendocino Old Vine zinfandel (85% zinfandel, 15% petite sirah), the brand doesn’t stray far from the zinfandel playbook. This wine is aggressive with sweetness, coming off as Port-like at first, densely raisiny with notes of dried cherries and blackcurrants and layers of chocolate underneath that. The 2017 drinks like a dessert wine, and not really in a good way, overwhelming with sweetness to the point of being a bit cloying. It’s simply too sugary from start to finish. When people say they don’t like zinfandel, it’s often an unfair generalization… but this is actually what they’re talking about.
C- / $16 / artezinwines.com
Ignore this review. I’ve served this wine to a dozen people and they all praised it. The blackberry is forward but the finish is long and delicious. It’s fantastic when paired with grilled meat.