Michael David Winery 7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel 2012
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Tasting Panel
With its new label design, the winemaking team at Michael David Winery - Adam Mettler, Derek Devries and Jeff Farthing - once more bring delicious to Lodi Zinfandel. Easy to drink and scented with crushed fruits and anise, the spiced berry palate is balanced with fine acidity, concentrated blackberry jam and coffee-earth sweet bean flavor.
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Wine Enthusiast
This has an unusually dark color. Aromas of blackberry jam and maple syrup are followed by equally rich, deep and expressive flavors. The remarkable concentration of ripe berry flavors layered densely with fine tannins is at least partly due to blending in Petite Sirah. It adds up to a full bodied and delicious wine. Editors' Choice.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another outstanding value is the 2012 Zinfandel 7 Deadly Zins (230,00 cases of 100% Zinfandel). Aged in American oak, it is an opulent, delicious, sexy, full-throttle Zinfandel boasting lots of briary, peppery, mulberry and black cherry fruit notes, a full-bodied texture and terrific purity as well as opulence. It is a delicious, staggering value in Zinfandel, and the fact that there are 230,000 cases blows my mind. Drink it over the next several years.
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"Michael" and "David" are Michael and David Phillips, brothers whose family has farmed fruits and vegetables in the Lodi region since the 1850s and cultivated wine grapes for nearly a century. Michael and David constitute the 5th generation of grape growers in the Phillips family, with the 6th generation now joining the family business.
The Phillips family likes to emphasize the importance of quality wines with unique and fun labels. Wine makers Adam Mettler, Derek DeVries and Jeff Farthing specialize in producing Lodi’s famous Old Vine Zinfandels, as well as Rhone varietals such as Ancient Vine Cinsault and Syrah for Michael David Winery.
Farming with future generations in mind, the Phillips have adopted some of the most progressive sustainable farming practices in the state. All 800 acres of the family’s vineyards are third party certified, and the state’s first per ton bonus was issued for contracted growers to follow in the family’s footsteps.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.
Positioned between the San Francisco Bay and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the Lodi appellation, while relatively far inland, is able to maintain a classic Mediterranean climate featuring warm, sunny days and cool evenings. This is because the appellation is uniquely situated at the end of the Sacramento River Delta, which brings chilly, afternoon “delta breezes” to the area during the growing season.
Lodi is a premier source of 100+ year old ancient Zinfandel vineyards—some dating back as far as 1888! With low yields of small berries, these heritage vines produce complex and bold wines, concentrated in rich and voluptuous, dark fruit.
But Lodi doesn’t just produce Zinfandel; in fact, the appellation produces high quality wines from over 100 different grape varieties. Among them are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc as well as some of California's more rare and unique grapes. Lodi is recognized as an ideal spot for growing Spanish varieties like Albarino and Tempranillo, Portugese varieties—namely Touriga Nacional—as well as many German, Italian and French varieties.
Soil types vary widely among Lodi’s seven sub-appellations (Cosumnes River, Alta Mesa, Deer Creek Hills, Borden Ranch, Jahant, Clements Hills and Mokelumne River). The eastern hills are clay-based and rocky and in the west, along the Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers, sandy and mineral-heavy soils support the majority of Lodi’s century-old own-rooted Zinfandel vineyards. Unique to Lodi are pink Rocklin-Jahant loam soils, mainly found in the Jahant sub-appellation.