The Best Zinfandels from a Bad Year

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90 points
Rosenblum Cellars 2005 Zinfandel Annette's Reserve (Mendocino)

The outstanding 2005 Zinfandel Annette's Reserve (80% zinfandel, 15% petite sirah, and 5% carignan) exhibits a deep ruby/purple color in addition to notes of licorice, black cherries, currants, earth, and spice box. Richly fruity and medium- to full-bodied with good acidity and light to moderate tannin, it, too, should drink nicely over the next 5-7 years. $35

90 points
Rosenblum Cellars 2005 Zinfandel Harris-Kratka Vineyard (Alexander Valley)

This broodingly backward, dense ruby/purple-colored offering is a tannic blend of 75% zinfandel, 15% petite sirah, and 10% carignan. It exhibits notes of seaweed, garrigue, pepper, kirsch, darker fruits, spice box, and earth. Abundant acidity and tannin suggest another year of bottle age will be beneficial. It should keep for 5-7 years. $35

90 points
Rosenblum Cellars 2005 Zinfandel Hendry Vineyard (Napa)

This outstanding effort reveals plenty of black raspberry and cherry fruit intermixed with roasted Provençal herbs, pepper, and loamy soil notes. Full-bodied and rich, it is best drunk over the next 3-4 years. $45

91 points
Carlisle 2005 Zinfandel Carlo's Ranch (Russian River)

A blend of 98% zinfandel (planted in 1934) and the 2% balance consisting of petite sirah and carignan, this cuvée boasts a deep ruby/purple color, a sweet nose of raspberries and red fruits, some spicy, earthy notes, a floral character as well as good acidity, yet full-bodied power and richness. Drink it over the next 3-4 years. $40

91 points
Carlisle 2005 Zinfandel Gold Mine Ranch (Dry Creek)

From a vineyard planted in 1914, this is a full-bodied, dark ruby-colored wine with tremendous spice, loads of earth, raspberry, and sweet cherry notes intermixed with some background underbrush. The wine is loaded with fruit and is just amazing for the vintage. Drink it over the next 4-5 years. $40

91 points
JC Cellars 2005 Zinfandel Arrowhead Mountain (Sonoma)

This 2005's deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by loads of briary, peppery, spicy fruit, good acidity, medium to full body, and a substantial mouth-feel. $38

91 points
Rosenblum Cellars 2005 Zinfandel House Family Vineyard (Sonoma)

The dense ruby/purple-tinged 2005 Zinfandel House Family Vineyard possesses a sweet perfume of black raspberries, blueberries, and pepper. This spicy, medium- to full-bodied 2005 reveals zesty acidity as well as a moderate structure. Consume it over the next 5-6 years. $25

91 points
Rosenblum Cellars 2005 Zinfandel Snows Lake (Lake County)

An impressive effort, the 2005 Zinfandel Snows Lake is a blend of 87% zinfandel, 9% petite sirah, and 4% syrah from, of all places, Lake County. It boasts a dark ruby/purple hue along with floral, blueberry, and boysenberry characteristics interwoven with black currant, camphor, earth, and oak notes. With crisp acidity, sweet tannin, and a long, heady finish, this elegant beauty is filled with substance. Drink it over the next 5-7 years. $35

92 points
Rosenblum Cellars 2005 Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyard (Dry Creek)

A blend of 93% zinfandel and 7% petite sirah, the outstanding 2005 Rockpile Road cuvée boasts an opaque dark ruby/purple color followed by aromas of crushed rocks, spring flowers, blueberries, black raspberries, and kirsch. This complex, dense, full-bodied zin possesses good underlying minerality as well as beautifully integrated acidity and tannin. It is a superb offering that should drink nicely for 7-8 years. $35

93 points
Carlisle 2005 Zinfandel Bacchi Ranch (Dry Creek)

The 2005 Zinfandel Bacchi Ranch (from a vineyard planted in 1909) is a blend of 77% zinfandel and 23% petite sirah. A brilliant wine in this difficult year for zinfandel, it has wonderful sweet black cherry, blueberry, and raspberry notes that smell like a terrific grenache. Dark ruby/purple-tinged with notes of crushed rock, some lavender, and a hint of licorice, this is a full-bodied, absolutely amazing wine for the vintage that should drink nicely for another 5-6 years. $40

Robert M. Parker Jr. is arguably the most influential wine critic in the world today. The former lawyer, who turned to writing full time about wine in 1982, devised a 100-point rating system to score wines of different vintages. This simple yet ingenious method—today much copied—not only earned Parker fame and fortune but also demystified the traditionally opaque world of fine wine for everyday buyers. He started his wine newsletter The Wine Advocate in 1978 and today it has more than 40,000 subscribers in nearly 40 countries. His first book, Bordeaux, was published in 1985. He has since published 10 books, including Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide and The Wines of the Rh�ne Valley and Provence, most of which have been updated several times. Initially, Parkers impact was primarily felt in Bordeaux but now he has expanded his range to include wines from all over the world, especially the United States, Australia, Spain as well as other regions of France. His column appears every week in BusinessWeek and on BusinessWeek.com.