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2008 The Pines Sweet Sierra port -- by Medici
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 9:32 pm
by Andy Velebil
My cousin in Oregon sent this to me for Christmas. It's made by Medici in Newberg, Oregon and according to the back label comes from a vineyard with up to 100 year old vines. I've never had it and to be honest never even heard of it. A fortified wine made from Zinfandel grapes and 20% ABV, which I assume means it was fortified more like a traditional Port. Typically I am not a fan of Zin based "ports" simply because most are late harvested grapes which are over ripe and extracted and way too sweet without any acidity. That said, I was quite surprised when I tried this with its nicely balanced and fresh medium bodied texture. As with many single grape fortified wines it wasn't very complex, but had nice loganberries, a decent dose of chocolate showing up early, and some nice acidity keeping it fresh. The finish isn't real long, but isn't short either, with its subtle bing cherries. I have no idea what this costs, but given the right price would be worth getting.
87 points
Re: 2008 The Pines Sweet Sierra port -- by Medici
Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:40 am
by Kurt Wieneke
Hi Andy,
This is made by Peter Rosback of Sineann. You can look up the history of the The Pines vineyard on the Sineann website. Yes, a 100 yr old zin vineyard in The Dalles along the Columbia River. Peter/Sineann shares space at Hal Medici's winery in Newberg, and I think the deal is that Peter makes Hal's "Medici" wines for him.
Re: 2008 The Pines Sweet Sierra port -- by Medici
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 7:47 am
by Andy Velebil
Kurt,
Thanks for the background on this, I'll have to check out the site soon.
Re: 2008 The Pines Sweet Sierra port -- by Medici
Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:51 pm
by Kurt Wieneke
Re: 2008 The Pines Sweet Sierra port -- by Medici
Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:08 pm
by Richard Henderson
Just a real question, not implying anything, but I thought we could not post on "port style" wines on the BB? I have refrained from questions and tasting notes on such things as Heitz Ink Grade or the Australians. I hope this means that the "rule" is relaxed or that I have misunderstood it.
Re: 2008 The Pines Sweet Sierra port -- by Medici
Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 7:24 am
by Andy Velebil
Richard,
We're not totally against an occasional posting relating to other fortified wines made in a similar style to the real deal. But I'd suggest that the non-fortified ones (such as late harvest Zinfandel "port") would probably be best put in the Other Discussion Forum.