Wine Review (revised): 2005 · Michael & David · Petite Petit · Lodi, CA

Petite Petit from Michael & David, is the 4th entry from this winery along with 7 Deadly Zins, Incognito, and 6th Sense Syrah. 85% Petite Syrah/15% Petit Verdot, this red blend is a prime example of contemporary Lodi winemaking—colossal fruit, layers of secondary flavors and nuances, and textual ease.

Showing intense ruby and plum colors, Petite Petit appears polished—both youthful and alive. With a spin the wine lines the inside of the glass leaving a rose colored tint. Right out of the bottle, Petite Petit really shows its size. An initial alcohol burn-off and a husky quality of the fruit settles and softens quickly in the glass—no need to decant.

The aroma profile is warm and booming, boasting strong plum and red and black cherry fruit. Vanilla extract and rich caramel aromas please the nose with a soft, dessert-like sweetness—a perfect backdrop for the signature spice box, earth and black pepper undertones I have come to recognize. This wine continues to display the winemaker’s unique fingerprint, and even exhibits detectable smokey barbecue qualities—described by the winemaker as their signature “smokehouse” aromas.

Petite Petit is a richly layered textural behemoth, packing immense amounts fruit, smooth spice, earth, smoke, and floral notes in its virtually boarder-less full body.  Between the squat Pinot-esque bottle, manic circus label, and red and white awning capsule, the bottle presentation succeeds in thoroughly setting-up the buyer, daring wine snobs not to take it seriously. But, in reality, Michael & David put together a deliciously elephantine blend, worthy of serious reflection, conversation and, if possible, a few bottles set aside for the maturing touch of age.

$17 Enjoy!

-Rob

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Oops! (hiccup)

Robby and I just polished off an entire bottle of 7 Deadly Zins. Ha ha ha…

Evidence:

I directly equate this slight misstep with two things:

1. I saw a baby today. I’m celebrating for Jen and Jim! I am an aunt!

2. I was researching joining the Saratoga Springs YMCA. Traumatic.

Rob was pouring some wine into my glass just now and said, “Just say when,” and I lost track of time a little bit, thinking about kittens and flowers and Thailand and babies. This is normal; I’m sure of it. Here’s how he’s doing:

Oops.

Did I mention we’re having 7 Deadly Zins tonight? Or were having? It’s delicious. And Zinful. And for the record, I just typed all of that in CAPS before I realized it was on. I don’t know why that makes me laugh so much.

TO READ MORE ABOUT shit I did it again— to read more about this creamy tasty wine that’s causing much mayhem and misbehavior in the Burden household this evening, read this. By the way, it was his first review ever on C&C! And it’s rather good!

Cheeks! I mean, Cheers!

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Wine Review: 2005 · Michael and David Family of Wines · 6th Sense · Syrah · Lodi, CA

This is the third release I have reviewed from the outstanding Michael & David Family of Wines, two of which have become a household staple for Carey and me.

6th Sense is a mammoth Syrah, boasting a litany of robust flavor characteristics in amazing concentration. The nose is incredibly lush, exhibiting the essence of vanilla extract in the purest form I have ever experienced. Black cherry dominates the fruit qualities of the nose in a rich, syrupy way. Like most wines, as the wine settles in the glass, the dominant flavors and aromas dampen and new, more intricate, offerings open up. Notably, mocha, blackberry, sweet pipe smoke, and pepper shuffle in elegantly.

Words cannot describe the boldness of this wine. Initially, the black cherry flavors were so dense that it reminded me of cough syrup (in flavor, not texture). But, as the wine moderates, mocha and pepper undertones really take over and blend the flavor profile out beautifully. The Michael & David tasting notes describe cedar accents that I did not initially pick up on, but was able to recognize and see the interesting importance of this flavor characteristic.

This wine exhibits a round, almost chewy, texture that literally glides through the mouth. 6th Sense is an outstanding Syrah. You can almost picture the hot, late-summer Lodi sun carrying the grapes, on 30 year-old vines, to the brink of ripeness and destruction, only to be saved by a daring, last minute harvest, and a gamble rewarding us with an almost unimaginably bold wine.

$11.99 – $17

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Wine Review: 2006 · Michael & David Family of Wines · 7 Deadly Zins · Lodi, CA

It appears as though we are due to post a wine review, actually, our first wine review. I knew exactly which wine I wanted to start with and share. As the title states, I am reviewing the 2006 7 Deadly Zins from Lodi, California, a lesser-known Appellation that has been undergoing somewhat of a Zinfandel Renaissance in the past decade.

I chose this wine for a few reasons. First, it is accessible. 7 Deadly is the flagship of the Michael and David Family of Wines, a 5-generation family of growers out of Lodi who have a number of innovative new world and classic old world blends and varietals. Second, it is fairly affordable, and quality-wise, a great value. And lastly, it is seriously good.

The concept behind this wine is unique, and results from the efforts of 7 of Lodi’s best Zinfandel growers coming together to produce a truly fantastic wine. Honestly, I was turned off a bit at first by the label/brand concept. It seemed a little odd to me, or worse, a clever marketing ploy to unload tens of thousands of cases of shitty wine on the casual wine buyer who happens to find the whole sin/zin double entendre thing catchy. But I bought it anyway.

I found myself pretty excited to try this one as I went through my little ritual of opening some juice.  Pull the appropriate glasses, rinse out the woody cabinet smell, dry them with white Bounty p-towels (dish rags are a no because of the detergents), check for spots, find my duck, cut the foil, pop the cork, add to duck, let sit, and so on.  In case you’re wondering, this is all very fun for me, unnecessarily complicated, but still fun.

The first thing that caught me about this wine was what wafted up from the bottle the second the cork was free.  “Coffee ice cream,” were the first words out of my mouth.  The aroma was huge, and totally pleasing.  It was rich, lush, jammy and dominated by coffee and black cherries.  The signature Zinfandel spice was there as well, and in the form of black pepper and something like allspice or nutmeg.  It was awesome.

After a couple fingers were poured and some vigorous swirls, I was ready to taste. Blackberry and black cherry dominated this very full-bodied wine, but it had great balance. Everything I wanted was there. The jammy fruits, cream, coffee, sweet spices (like you find in Christmas cookies), and pepper.  

The whole concept of spice in this wine is something I want to clarify.  The term “spice” can be a turn-off, and is often associated with a feeling, rather than a taste. Often, when an astringent, burning feeling rides up in the sinuses, or your mouth dries out, or there is a slight burn on the tongue, this can be confused with spice. But it’s not, that is a matter of tannins, alcohol and other variables, and this wine does none of those things.

7 Deadly has an incredible mouth feel, smooth tannins, and a long velvety finish, and I want to share it with everybody, without driving up the price, or slashing supply, of course. The consistency from bottle to bottle is perfect, and often a result and benefit of blended wines, which I love. It is also about $14 a bottle. Enjoy!

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