Gnarly Head 2005 Zinfandel

Ladies and Gentlemen: a wine review. Act One, Scene One, Page One.

The proper pairing of wine and meal is of utmost importance to the truly informed. Restaurants tout their wine selections, the credentials of their sommeliers, and not without good reason. Finding the perfect wine for a particular dish is as much an art form as creating the dish itself.

My process for selecting  a bottle of Gnarly Head 2005 Zinfandel went something like this: without knowing what I was cooking for dinner, I purchased this particular bottle because it had a nicely done label and fell safely in my price range (about $11 for the bottle).

 This gourmet atrocity committed, I installed my new bottle in my wine rack and ignored it for a day or two while I thought, as I tend to, just how I would go about drinking it in order to review it. I am not, after all, what you would call an educated professional reviewer; at the end of the day (and the beginning, for that matter), I'm some guy with a PowerBook, disposable income, and too much free time. I've decided, therefore, to offer my own tasting notes (because it entertains me to do so), followed by what at while I drank this wine and how the wine performed.

Tasting notes: Air this wine well. Gnarly Head is mildly peppery, a flavor characteristic of Old Vine Zin. An alcohol by volume of nearly %15 renders the nose bluntly blackberry. The mouth feel and texture of Gnarly Head is strikingly reminiscent of stone fruit like dark cherry and peach, a strong body balanced by brightly acidic tart blackberry and a hint of sandalwood. Slightly dry with a supple tannin and very clean finish. Label suggests "blackberry, cassis, and liquorice." I would say anis.
 

Meal One: Broiled Salmon with Green Beans

 I found this Zin startlingly affable with fresh broiled Coho salmon. Though red wine is not normally considered appropriate, the clean flavor and body of Gnarly Head meant the two foods didn't vie for attention or drown one another out. Contrasted with the green beans, the wine took on a sweet character; contrasted with the chocolate chip cookies we had for dessert, the wine became sour as can be.

Meal Two: Penne a la Carbonara con Pomodori e Formaggio da Capra

I make, most of the time, a fairly traditional Carbonara -- which is to say a sturdy mixture of  raw eggs, cheese, crushed garlic, crushed red pepper, and cooked bacon (pancetta if I can afford it) dumped over freshly boiled pasta and stirred until the egg sets, the cheese melts, and joy ensues. This particular Carbonara was fortified with diced tomatoes and Ballerina, an aged goat's cheese from Holland (review on this cheese soon!). Gnarly Head was a superlative wine for this meal; the slight sweetness and tart fruit of the wine played perfectly with the goat's cheese, while something in the tannin made the wine smooth right over the burn of the fresh garlic. A splendid combination!

Meal Three: Risotto di Saumone e Funghi e Formaggio da Capra

Having wound up with quite a pile of salmon and goat's cheese, there was nothing to do but make an immense pile of risotto. Again, Gnarly Head was quite satisfying, the bright acid balancing the richness of the food.  Not quite the match of Meal Two, but agreeable none the less.

Conclusion: An excellent wine for eleven bucks, good for balancing fats, garlic, and goat's cheese while providing a suitable accompaniment for medium flavored foods such as salmon.