Review: 2019 Cameron Hughes 811 Zinfandel Lodi
Cameron Hughes’ 811 Zinfandel is a perennial best-seller for the brand, and given its combination of exuberance and price it’s easy to see why. All told, it’s a rather straightforward bottling of Lodi zin, this bold wine drenched in chocolate sauce, black raspberry, and a layer of dense baking spice. Things get rather prune-heavy as the wine develops in glass, building to a lush but somewhat gummy, oversweetened finish. It’s not as pejoratively jammy as many modern zins, but the berry-laden finish has a distinct Port-like character that evokes a young ruby. This is better after dinner than before; otherwise it needs the perfect companion to work as a food pairing — think pork with a reduced wine sauce.
B / $13 / chwine.com [BUY IT NOW FROM CAMERON HUGHES]