Rosenblum www.rosenblumcellars.com
2900 Main St., Alameda, CA
(510) 865-7007
Rosenblum was founded in 1978 by Kent Rosenblum. John Kane is their present winemaker, although Jeff Cohn was their longstanding winemaker until 2006. The emphasis here is on Zinfandel and Rhone varietals. Their entry level wines are labeled Vintner’s Cuvee (Zin, Syrah, Sauv.Blanc, Chard) at about $12 and deliver good quality for the price, particularly the Zin. The Appellation Series take the middle ground at about $18 and show a significant jump up in quality, with three Zinfandels, a Petite Sirah and a Viognier. I’ve had particularly good luck with the Contra Costa County Zin and the Heritage Clones Petite Sirah (also Contra Costa County). Their Single Vineyard and Reserve wines are at the top rung of their quality line up.Here are the ones they had open during my visit:
88+ 2007 Rosenblum Kontrabecki Zinfandel (Livermore) $25
100% Marsanne 15.5%alc 219cases
Overall: Solid middleweight with very ripe fruit, tending toward black plum and fresh fig with some Zinberry thrown in. Quite distinctive for the price. Shows a little heat, but very enjoyable right now. Could improve in the next couple of years. Very good value.90+(?) 2007 Rosenblum Lyon’s Reserve Zinfandel (Northern Napa) $45
CA blend of 39% Zinfandel, 29% Syrah, 22% Petite Sirah, 4% Tempranillo, 3% Carignan, 2% Grenache, 1% Viognier 15.5%%alc 1171cases
Overall: Bigger, more acidity and tighter than the last with a little less ripeness and more Zinberry. Dense fruit with big tannins. Delicious, but needs time for the tannin and heat to calm down, 2-4 years.90+ 2007 Rosenblum England Shaw Syrah (Solano County) $35
100% Syrah 15.0%alc 104cases
Overall: Excellent acidity and ripe blackberry and cassis fruit. Well balanced and coats the mouth beautifully. A little oatmeal oak component adds interest, ending in a silky, light chocolate finish. Well done! Delicious right now, no need to wait, but should remain this good for a couple of years at least.87+(?) 2008 Rosenblum Pickett Road Petite Sirah (Calistoga) $40
100% Petite Sirah 15.0%alc 249cases
Overall: Tobacco, tannin and acidity support ripe blackberry fruit. Heavyweight with some bitterness from oak, alcohol and tannin. The bouquet has some charm to it, but the flavor and finish get progressively more bitter and closed in comparison. Somewhat imbalanced at present. Needs time, 3-5 years?89+ 2008 Rosenblum Rockpile Road Petite Sirah (Rockpile) $45
CA blend of 85% Syrah, 9% Petite Sirah, 6% Zinfandel 14.0%alc 831cases
Overall: Big tobacco, leather, dark chocolate and oatmeal. Heavyweight with big fruit and excellent acidity. Well balanced. The concentrated blackberry fruit is delicious. The finish is not totally open yet, but very tasty even now. Should improve in the next few years.Also tasted a very good 2008 Roussanne from the Fess Parker vineyard ($25), but my palate had already been too jaded by the big reds above for me to give it a more detailed assessment.
Final Thoughts: All of these wines show very ripe fruit, which some palates will gravitate toward and love. For me, balance is key here with some wines working much better than others. Nonetheless, an impressive lineup, showing contrasting regional differences. My favorites were the England Shaw Syrah and the Kontrabecki Zin for now drinking and the Lyon's Reserve Zin and Rockpile Petite Sirah for later.
Kent Rosenblum and his investors sold the winery to the international drink giant Diageo in 2008, so I hope they keep up the quality and the dedication to Single Vineyard wines. They’ve already made plans to eliminate their Monte Rosso and St. Peter’s Church Zinfandels, two of their most highly regarded, small production wines. Rafik is a big fan of their wines, so we’ll be watching this closely.
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