Wine Tasting - ZanZibar Cellars 2007 Barrel Sample Party

ZANZIBAR CELLARS 2007 BARREL TASTING - Clark-Lewis Restaurant, Portland, OR (9/28/2008)

ZanZibar Cellars hosted their 2007 barrel sample party at Clark-Lewis this year. I attended with my girlfriend, Kristina, and tasted their 2007 wines from barrel, while hanging out with good friends. Winemaker Ziad Kierouz, and his business partner, Glen Boyd, were on hand to discuss the wines, the vintage, and to ensure the 75+ email list members present had a great time. Delicious small bites were served by Clark-Lewis, which opened on a Sunday just to host this event.

• 2007 Zanzibar Cellars Casima - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley
  Tasted from barrel sample. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese, from Yakima Valley vineyards, according to winemaker Ziad Keirouz. Raspberries on the nose, with a hint of something floral. Raspberries again on the palate, very bright, yet supple and feminine. Very smooth, with barely any tannic bite at all. Acidity is already noticable. This wine will go into bottle Novemeber/December 2008, where it will stay for 12-15 months before the planned release in the Fall of 2009. (91 pts.)


• 2007 Zanzibar Cellars Sandra Alder Creek Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills
  Tasted from barrel sample. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. I am not certain this wine is sourced 100% from Alder Creek Vineyard anymore, but winemaker Ziad Kierouz mentioned it was a Columbia Valley wine. Very fruit-forward, with blackberry and some earthiness/leather on the nose. A definite fruit explosion on the palate, with firm tannins and bright acidity. Lots of different flavors floating around, chocolate, coffee, blueberry...very tasty. An incredible effort from one of the coldest vintages in Washington in the past decade. This wine will be bottled November/December 2008, and released Fall of 2009. (94 pts.)

After the tasting there was a small dinner served by Clark-Lewis that Kristina and I did not attend. Ziad mentioned he was going to serve some of his extremely limited Non-Vintage Sandra, which is a blend consisting of a barrel from each vintage of Sandra. Each year, Ziad removes one barrel of the blend for bottling, and then adds a barrel of the current year's vintage to the blend. Ingenious!

Tasting notes posted from CellarTracker