Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel

A nice surprise on last Wednesday was a wine that will turn out to be a new favorite ~ Gnarly Head Old Vine Vin 2006. It paired well with a variety of hors d’oeuvres and a robust (!) Carrot Cake. Gnarly Head web site describes it as -

WINE
The 2006 Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel is crafted from grapes from 35 to 80 year old vines. Robust berry flavors and exotic spice notes from the small grape clusters are balanced with French, American and Hungarian oak, which creates heady layers of vanilla and chocolate and a lingering finish.

VINTAGE
The 2006 vintage will be remembered for rain – abundant, continuous rain, which flooded many vineyards in Northern California. However, the wet spring gave way to an ideal growing season with moderate that allowed the grapes to mature evenly and slowly. A heat spike during the summer concentrated the flavors in the grapes. The grapes for this wine were hand-harvested in August 2006.