Comments on The Wellesley Wine Press: 2007 Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel: 93 Points/$...

Er, it was Block 8, not Block 9. Maybe Cloud 9. ...

2009-05-17T10:44:00.000-04:00

Er, it was Block 8, not Block 9. Maybe Cloud 9. The tasting room folks were really warm and friendly on what was a somewhat damp Monday afternoon - we had a nice visit.

Hey Ian, It's always a question of whether the in...

2009-04-24T10:05:00.000-04:00

Hey Ian,

It's always a question of whether the incremental dollars deliver commensurate value, isn't it? I've not had their Block 9- sounds interesting.

How was Seghesio as a place to visit? Would you highly recommend?

Thanks for checking in!

At a tasting at Seghesio last weekend, I actually ...

2009-04-24T07:51:00.000-04:00

At a tasting at Seghesio last weekend, I actually preferred both their Cortina (available at Total Wine, for one) and their Block 9 (not widely available) to the Sonoma County, but this is still a great value, especially if you can get it at $17.

Hey Eric!

Thanks for checking in! It's grea...

2008-12-24T20:34:00.000-05:00

Hey Eric!

Thanks for checking in! It's great to have a local comment- you'd be surprised how global the visitors to this site are.

Glad you liked the Seghesio and I think Ridge is a perennial excellent producer of Zinfandel as well. A little more expensive but just as good if not better. I was over at Costco Waltham today and I'm sorry to report- no more Seghesio in stock. :(

Hope to hear from you in the future, and have a happy holiday season!

-Bob

Hi Bob,

I am hardly a oenophile and my expe...

2008-12-24T19:19:00.000-05:00

Hi Bob,

I am hardly a oenophile and my experience is limited so am not in a position to judge whether 93 point ratings were justly awarded, but I purchased this wine as a change from my typical Zinfandel choice: Ridge Three Valleys. I enjoyed the wine -- even with an atypical food pairing of (gasp!) salmon... though the alcohol content may be a bit high, that did not wreck things for me. I would buy more, especially now that you told me it's available at Costco.

Thanks for your blog. I haven't read much, but the local slant is nice since I'm over in Newton.

Hi mattandmargot! Thanks for dropping in and leav...

2008-12-14T22:24:00.000-05:00

Hi mattandmargot! Thanks for dropping in and leaving a comment- I appreciate it.

I didn't notice a positive uptick with this 2007 either, but I still think it is as good or better than some of their more expensive offerings and is a good value itself.

Even though the alcohol content is very high I've never "tasted" heat- though I'm frequently parched after consuming half a bottle of this in a given night and I can't say that I like that feeling. It's just a little too much sometimes, so I can see where the comparison to bourbon could apply.

Your mention of advertising being involved implies that Wine Spectator tweaks its ratings depending on how much companies spend on ads in their magazine. I personally don't believe that Wine Spectator does this.

It's not clear whether you overheard this comment at a wine shop from an owner or a customer, but when I hear wine shop owners make comments like this I think to myself "And you think *you're* less biased than Wine Spectator? You're the one with the vested interest in selling the wines on your shelf!"

Blind tasting is a difficult thing to do (as I'm sure you'll agree) and for my money Spectator does a pretty good job most of the time.

Thanks again for finding your way to my site- I hope you'll come by again!

PS - I have had previous Seghesio vintages. I real...

2008-12-14T09:04:00.000-05:00

PS - I have had previous Seghesio vintages. I really liked the 2006 Old Vine, which had me highly anticipating the 2007 Sonoma. I guess I'll stick with the Old Vine in the future.

I had this wine last night, and was disappointed. ...

2008-12-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

I had this wine last night, and was disappointed. It's overtly sweet, and suprisingly simple. This, combined with the "hot" finish (from the high alcohol) left an aftertaste that reminded me more of straight-up bourbon than a red wine.

I'm reminded of a comment I heard in a wine shop once - that the Wine Spectator was a good "random number generator." I've actually found that they've improved in recent years, but sometimes they lapse, as they have here. As often as not, a lot of advertising is involved.