Irvine Zinfandel Reserve

Tasting Notes: 2008

Irvine Zinfandel Reserve is a fairy story come true. A beautiful young woman gives up a successful nursing career to go back to university to earn a winemaking degree. Her dream is to create her own wines, in her own style, with classic modern winemaking. Back to the grunt of cellar work in many wineries in Australia and a few in USA. It is in USA that she sees for the first time the Old Mountain Zinfandel from the high country vineyards of Sonoma Valley.

The memory is carried back to Australia. She badgers her father into giving her vineyard space to grow “her Zinfandel”. Arguments start, she persists and her father does what all fathers do – he relents. Eight years later the first Joanne Irvine Zinfandel appears – just 300 dozen. Instant success – beautiful wine – rave reviews.

So you see, fairy tales do come true.

All this aside, Joanne has made a very stylish wine indeed. Very reminiscent of the super premium Zinfandels of USA not the “blockbuster” style at all. Superb oak, ripe morello cherry bouquet and flavour. Mid palate fruit with complexities of raspberry, loganberry and rhubarb over spicy French and vanillin American oak. Dry finish. A superb wine in itself and of the super premium style. Seek it out to enjoy the discovery of a great Australian Zinfandel.