We came across this review of our 09 Harris-Kratka Vineyard Zinfandel at Eve’s Wine 101 Blog and thought we would share. Thank you, Eve, for the kind words!
Today we have one of my Two-Bottle posts of Wine Guerrilla Zinfandels crafted by Bruce Patch. (Info on how you can become a guerrilla, and get your hands on possibly “the greatest Zin in the world”, is below the tasting report):
09 Harris-Kratka Vineyard Zinfandel
Alexander Valley, Sonoma County
85% Zinfandel, 10% Carignan & 5% Petite Sirah
14.8 percent alcohol
268 Cases Produced
Appearance – Bright garnet to a ruby edge, opaque.
Aroma – Plums, musty mushrooms, black peppercorns, stewed fruit, rare sirloin.
Taste – Brighter than expected, pushing tart fruit deep into my palate and leaving a lingering dryness, dark and light fruit, pepper, astringency causing my tastebuds to erect and a lingering juiciness.
Conclusion – To age or not to age…if you want the bright fruit to match the nose, age it. If you don’t care, as I did, drink one bottle now, cellar another no more than five years…and see.
09 Conte Vineyards Russian River Valley
83% Zin, 12% Petite Sirah, 2% Carignan, 2% Alacante Bouchet, and 1% Grenache
15.1 percent alcohol
238 cases produced
Appearance – Magenta to purple colored, stretched out to just a sliver of darker edge.
Aroma – Sweet dark fruits – plum and blackberry, mushrooms, forest floor, a slight mustiness-gamey quality that made me hungry.
Taste – Juicy dark fruit, sharp tannins, black pepper, smoother in five minutes, but both were very pleasant.
Conclusion – Extremely long and flavorful finish.
Membership Info:
Membership has its privileges….you can chose your membership one of two ways: the club is 6 bottles twice a year or 12 bottles twice a year. Bruce said, “Our first Zindicate release (wine club only) will be the 2010 Monte Rosso Vineyard Sonoma Valley Zinfandel. This may just be the most famous Zinfandel vineyard in the world.”
From the website: Wine Guerrilla is a hero to those who seek wines of unabashed uniqueness and character. Wherever proud zinfandel grapes are oppressed and the taste buds of consumers are in peril, Wine Guerrilla is there!
The Zindicate wine club offers single vineyard Zinfandels that are not available at any restaurant or wine store nationally as well as all of our other releases. And, you get 25% off all wine purchases once you are a member and have received your first shipment. http://WineGuerrilla.com
Fred Swan at NorCal Wines recently and had this to say of our 2009 Wine Guerrilla Clopton Vineyard Russian River Valley Zinfandel
The Best New Wines I Tried
 2009 Wine Guerrilla Clopton Vineyard Zinfandel Russian River Valley
Wine Guerrilla may be a familiar name to you. They’ve been something of an old vine Zinsation since people discovered their 2007 vintage at ZAP a few years ago. Wine Guerrilla has nine different wines available from the 2009 vintage. All but one are single-vineyard. Each features a different — and gorgeous — label designed by Sean Colgin.
2009 is the very first vintage of wine from the Clopton Vineyard for Wine Guerrilla. The vines at Clopton are more than 100 years old. Wine Guerrilla made just 125 cases. The wine oozed berry cobbler and spice with a touch of cocoa. Tannins are moderate and the palate smooth. You can drink it on it’s own, or with food. Highly Recommended. $35
February 28
L’Ermitage Wine Club presents A Tasting of Zinfandel on February 28, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at L’Ermitage Beverly Hills. This historically significant California grape comes in a remarkable range of styles — from light and lively vibrant Zinfandels popping with fresh berries, to medium-bodied rustic reds with raspberry and plum peppered with spice, to heavier-bodied, dark and brooding Zins with deep black fruit, prune and raisin, to sweet Port-inspired and late harvest wines. From restrained and elegant to big, bold and fruity. Though the grape was born in Croatia, it truly belongs to California. It is the third most planted grape after Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. L’Ermitage Wine Club has invited a group of exceptional Zinfandel producers to show-off their highly-rated wines and the variety of seductive styles found in California Zins. Cost is $35 per person. L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, 9291 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, 310-278-3344, 800-800-2113.
Here’s a snippet of a review we found of our wines from someone at Zinfandel Festival, check it out!
Source
Over the weekend I had the privilege to get a taste (pun intended) of what it would be like to do exactly what I’ve always wanted to do for a living: attend food and wine tasting festivals as a member of the press–and luckily for me, there would be no better place for me to experience this for the first time than at San Francisco’s 21st Annual Zinfandel Festival.
It was a beautiful Saturday morning on January 28th, and the Zinfandel Festival was ending its four day line-up of events with its traditional Grand Tasting. Looking forward to imbibing (within reason) at 10:30AM that morning, together with my trusty photographer, we made the trek from the East Bay, across the bridge and into San Francisco where the festival was taking place.
The next winemaker we came across also had a name and label that sort of stood out from the rest: Wine Guerrilla. As we waited in line for the tasting, I found myself mesmerized by the winery’s beautiful labels, which were pastel illustrations done in the style of Pablo Picasso. This proved to me that, in addition to being a valuable marketing tool, the label could artistically compliment the wine itself, as was the case with Wine Guerrilla. I had the opportunity to taste two of their delicious wines, both made from the 2009 grape yields of the Forchini Vineyard and the Coffaro Vineyard respectively. While I felt the Forchini selection was a near-perfect Zinfandel, I was particularly impressed by their Coffaro wine, which included a small percentage of Syrah grapes in the mix. The mix was done well enough so that the overall essence of the wine was suitably dominated by the Zinfandel, with the warm peppery savoriness of Syrah lingering in the background. Truly an impressive selection.
Read more
 Source: The Wine Curmudgeon
Wine Guerrilla Rebel Cru 2009 ($25, sample): Powerful zinfandel red blend with massive fruit, almost 15 percent alcohol and very little subtlety. If you like that style of wine, you’re going to love this. Excellent example of post-modern California winemaking.
Check out this segment with the North Bay Bohemian in Swirl
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 The come-hither labels of Wine Guerrilla caught my attention, to be sure. Featuring a cadre of Matisse-like nymphs, sans fatigues, they bring to mind the “snakebite!” scene from Woody Allen’s 1971 movie Bananas. Fun stuff, but this is no campy “shiner” schtick; it’s a line of unique, single-vineyard Sonoma County Zinfandels. Curiosity piqued, I went through diplomatic back channels to arrange a rendezvous with the Guerrilla leader, in his secret headquarters deep within a local shopping center.
Bohemian: So what’s with the naked ladies?
Wine Guerrilla: We didn’t ask [artist Sean Colgin] for that theme, but we knew his style and thought it would fit with our overall marketing. Sean grew up with five sisters, and always seems to paint women.
Bohemian: You only make Zinfandel. So why not, you know, Zin Guerrilla?
WG: It started as a brokerage, to help local wineries get their wines to market. I was reading about ‘guerrilla marketing’ at the time; it just sounded good to me.
Bohemian: Do you have any plans for a fancy tasting room, set amidst the vineyards, etcetera?
WG: Uh, no.
Wine Guerrilla founder Bruce Patch left the L.A. music business before the internet liberated it, and took up a second career in wine sales. His 2007 vintage (made at David Coffaro Winery) put him on the map at the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers Grand Tasting, where Patch handed out temporary tattoos emblazoned with a red star, an irresistible lick-and-stick accessory that loosened-up winetasters just had to have.
At 7,000 cases, the 2009 Sonoma County Zinfandel ($15) is the big ticket; when the sandalwood dust settles, aromas of plum, blueberry compote, baking spices lead to a fine-grained finish, rich with chewy fruit. The 170-case 2009 Dry Creek Valley, Adel’s Vineyard ($30) comes on with typical strawberry and raspberry jam aromas, cracked coriander and sage, then each gorgeous sip of tart, plum syrup flavor inspires the next.
With exotic aromas of pomace, Hoisin sauce and crushed peanuts, the 2009 Russian River Valley, Clopton Vineyard ($35) has a long-lingering mu shu plum finish. Coyly camouflaged in summer flowers, the 2009 Russian River Valley, Conte Vineyard ($30) belies a dark, Petite Sirah–like aroma of black plums, bread pudding, chocolate and raisins; dried cherry pestled with purple pigment and iron pass across the palate like a slow-moving train. I’d say that some of these screw-capped but surprisingly serious Zins would be worthy of cellaring, but that would be so bourgeois.
VegWithLisa‘s blog recently reviewed our Wine Guerrilla’s 2009 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel and had some very interesting things to say, check it out!
 Wine Guerrilla Zinfandel
When Debbie and I were choosing wine to go with my Dark Chocolate Pudding, she mentioned that wine served with dessert should be at least as sweet as the dessert, so port wine seemed an obvious choice to her. Now I like Debbie, and I like a glass of wine with a little somethin’ sweet at the end of my meal, but I don’t like that wine to be sweet. So, as a compromise, we picked two wines to taste with my velvety rich pudding. It is the holiday season after all.
What I do like with my dessert, especially if it’s chocolate (is there any other respectable kind of dessert?), is a big, ripe, fruity zinfandel. To satisfy my predilection the friendly folks at Cellar Rat suggested Wine Guerrilla’s 2009 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. According to Wine Guerrilla’s website, the wine is 88% zinfandel from two old vine vineyards blended with 12% petite sirah.
Wine Guerrilla calls itself, “The art and soul of zinfandel,” (and they have cool arty labels) and my soul loved the way the spiciness and tannins in this particular zin cut through the creamy sweetness of the pudding, and also how the wine’s ripe fruit played the edge with the bitter dark chocolate. Red wine and dark chocolate: art and soul.
I also liked Debbie’s port with my pudding. Hell, I even liked Glori’s coffee beer with it! But what I enjoyed the most was my glass of zin. Sometimes more isn’t necessarily better. When it comes to sweetness, I think a little dab will do ya.
Check out this excellent review of our 2009 Rebel Cru!
Source: The Frugal Tasters
Wine Guerrilla
2009 Rebel Cru Red Wine
ALC: 14.5% Price: $20
Provided by Wine Guerrilla for review on our site
Bottle Notes:
“You wouldn’t expect a sissy blend from a revolutionary. Our new Cru gets big and bold with Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Petite Sirah. It’s like the Fab Four of wine — zin the “cute one”, cab the “clever one”, syrah the “quiet one” and petite sirah the “funny one”. Together, they make beautiful music.WineGuerrilla.com“
Our Tasting Notes:
This wine is comprised of 40% Zinfandel, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, and 10% Petite Sirah. Flavorful wine with elements of ripe cherries and a bit of vanilla. All the varietals really came together well to form a well structured, smooth drinking wine. There were some soft tannins and a bit of earthiness that was enjoyable. It wasn’t as “big and bold” of a wine as we expected but that was actually a good thing in our opinion. This blend was very enjoyable and we would absolutely have it again.
Zinfandel and BBQ? A given
Zinfandel and chocolate? Sublime
How about Zinfandel and SOUP?
The first autumn evening that we build a fire for other than aesthetic reasons I feel my obsession with soup descending upon me. They warm me, they clear my sinuses, they magically transform the refrigerator expirees into fluids of wonder and they pair so well with Zin.
The Bean Soups: scream for Zin
Black bean with a sprinkling of chorizo, cilantro and cotija cheese.
Tuscan white bean with tiny olive oil/anchovy croutons.
Cream of Garbanzo with red pepper rouille.
The Hearty Soups
Bouillabaisse with crusty garlic toasts
Minestrone with grated Pecorino Romano
Ukrainian Borscht with sour cream
Beef, Mushroom and Barley with hot biscuits
Put yourself in the lotus position, still your mind and meditate on the aroma of these soups until you salivate. Think, imagine, picture the table, would anything other than Zin work?
You may be thinking about now that the Guerrilla has me hypnotized so to lend my story a bit of veracity I will admit to liking champagne with Crab Bisque and beer with Albondigas soup.
The 2009′s are becoming quite the talk of the town, and here is the Goddess of Wine’s reviews of several of our most popular 2009 Wine Guerrilla Zinfandels:
One of the perks of being the Goddess of Wine is that people send me wine! A few weeks ago, winemaker Bruce Patch of Wine Guerrilla sent me a box of wine to taste. Well, not a box of wine – a box with 3 bottles of wine! I couldn’t get to it right away due to a head cold (hard to smell and taste with a code in by dose), but when I could smell again, I pulled together a tasting with the team: Debra B (multiple certifications in wine education), winemaker Shawn Shai Halahmy (Shai Cellars), wild child Marya G (a great palate and lots of wine experience), First Acolyte JD (always coming from a slightly different place), and yours truly.
The wines – in order of tasting:
2009 Adel’s Vineyard Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley - 100% Zinfandel – clear, pale ruby in appearance; youthful, brambly berries, black cherry, black pepper, graphite, and a bit too much alcohol in the nose; dry to medium acidity on the palate, medium bodied, little viscosity, and interesting green curry and spice in the mouth. We all found the finish to be a tad bitter with an odd acid spike. However, when paired with food – skirt steak salad with a slightly sweet vinaigrette dressing in my case – the acidity and bitterness disappeared. Very drinkable. 170 cases produced. $30
2009 Clopton Vineyard Zinfandel, Russian River Valley - A field blend of 79% Old Vine Zinfandel – 100+ years old! and 21% Alicante Bouschet. Medium ruby core, pale ruby edging; blackberry, leather, cherry, white pepper, and chocolate on the nose; black cherry, boysenberry, leather and bacon in the mouth; medium bodied, rounded tannins, medium acid and alcohol. We all liked this wine a lot. Delicious! 120 cases produced. $35
2009 Rebel Cru Red Blend, Sonoma County - 40% Zinfandel/40% Cabernet Sauvignon/10% Petit Sirah/10% Syrah – Clear, deep red appearance; cooked cherry, black currant, mushroom, forest floor, and too much alcohol in the nose; herbal overtones in the mouth, earthy, forest floor, dried currants, mushroom, and medium to high tannins. By itself, it felt unbalanced; with food, it improved and was a satisfying complement to the meal. No case information. $25
According to the website, the name, “Wine Guerrilla,” reflects a unique approach to winemaking and marketing. Having begun as a broker of fine small-production artisinal [sic] wines, Wine Guerrilla brings together a vision of a reasonably priced premium wine with a love of California’s native grape, zinfandel.
The Goddess’ tasting team concluded that the wines were young, interesting, and would definitely benefit from being in the bottle at least another year, although we know that in this business, winemakers need to move their product quickly in order to stay alive. Wine Guerrilla wines are well-priced – search on www.wine-searcher.com to find them at lower prices than on the winery site – easy-drinking and food friendly. That should keep them going strong! I also want to compliment them on their beautiful labels; obviously a lot of thought and artistry went into the designs.
Stay tuned for my recap of the First Annual Paso Garagiste Festival!
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