2019 Pareto’s Estate Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi, California
91 Points and Top 100 Best Buys, Wine & Spirits
Tasting Notes
With the Sierra Nevada Mountains looming to the east and the Pacific Ocean breezes flowing in from the west, Lodi is a preeminent area for rich red wines with deep color and structure. Cool breezes from the San Joaquin/Sacramento River Delta, along with warm days and cool evenings, provide the region with an ideal climate for full-flavored wines with refreshing acidity.
NOSE red aromas of black cherry, raspberry, and allspice with a hint of tobacco and mocha
PALATE medium-bodied, balanced acidity, structured tannins with lingering cinnamon and red fruit finish
Specs
Vintage: 2019
Appellation: Lodi, California
Alcohol: 13.5%
T.A. g/100 mls: 0.58
Free SO2 (ppm): 40
What’s Included
6-bottles:
6x 2019 Pareto’s Estate Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi, California
Case:
12x 2019 Pareto’s Estate Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi, California
The Pareto Principle, also called the 80/20 rule, states that 80% of results come from 20% of the effort. This is true in the world of wine, where 80% of the wine is consumed by 20% of the people. With Pareto’s Estate, we raise our glasses to those of us who take up the slack of others. Cheers to the 20%!
Monica and I were lucky to be chosen as labrats for the 2019 Pareto’s Estate Old Vine Zinfandel. We received the bottle on Thursday. We opened it and tasted it a few hours after it arrived. We noted plum as the predominate note on the the palate. We set the bottle aside and waited until Friday night for dinner to explore the wine a little more.
On Friday we decided to pair it with garlic sesame noodles. It turned out to be a great pairing. The nose continued to show predominately plum with some dark fruit notes. There was a hint of leather and pepper. The palate continued to show dark fruit with plum and cherry. Very smooth with integrated tannins. Mild alcohol that is not really noticeable. Very easy to drink. This is a wine to drink soon. We saved a glass and finished the bottle a few hours later. The wine was mellow, the leather showing up a little bit stronger. Overall an enjoyable wine and an incredible bargain at the offered price.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2019 Pareto’s Estate Old Vine Zinfandel - $20 = 16.66%
That W&S review is in the previous offer link from Dec '21…since then Sept '23 reverse wine snob offered this:
The 2019 Pareto’s Estate Old Vine Zinfandel opens with attractive aromas of dark berry and spice with hints of licorice, vanilla and a brambly note. It’s really enticing especially after it has some air.
The wine tastes just as you would expect from the nose, which is a very good thing. Smooth and balanced in the mouth this is quite easy to drink making it a great Zin to pull out at a party or barbeque.
It ends dry and long with lingering vanilla and spice-tinged fruit. Yum! We found it to be at its best after a couple of hours of air so plan accordingly.
How old are the vines? Pretty sure “Old Vine” is similar to calling something “All Natural”, in that there is no standard to meet in order to make the claim.
Something about older vines (and higher altitudes) does seem to contribute to better juice but it would be helpful to have an idea of just how gnarly these vines are. Not trying to cast doubt but curious about the specifics.
Labrat reporting for duty! SWMBO and I had a chance to sample this bottle last night with some Bellavita cheese. We have traditionally been zin fans, although are drinking a bit less of that variety as of late. Lodi is not an AVA we have a lot of experience with, so it was a good chance to see what it has to offer.
On pnp, I get some muted aromas of cherry and spice, a bit on the candied, jammy side. The color was a nice garnet, clear with no sediment.
My first taste yielded red fruit, mostly sour cherry with a touch of oak and mild tannins. I feared that with the hot climate in Lodi this might come across as flabby, but the acid was good and held up to the cheese nicely. The finish was short-medium with a slight bitterness which was not overpowering. The body was a bit on the light/thin side. SWMBO noted currants and a touch of alcohol, and felt it went well with the cheese.
I came away a bit surprised to see the low ABV and medium acidity in a Lodi wine. I wonder if they used RO on this to bring down the alcohol. Regardless, I think this is a decent daily drinker/table wine. I think it delivers at the (case) price point but not much more than that.
This is a pass for me as It doesn’t ship to my state, I am on a SIWBM and have more than my share of daily drinkers. I do think this would be a decent fit for someone looking in this area.
Thanks to Alice, WD, and the winery for the chance to try this wine. Cheers!
@hscottk I should add that, while this had a jammy quality on the nose, it was not sweet when consumed. I also read the winery description with sea breezes that may account for the solid acidity.
Plenty of ‘old vine’ Zin in Lodi, but you are right - there is no legal definition for what old vine means
This is a Scheid Vineyard project - makes sense with the winery being located in Monterey County
Though it is warm in Lodi, there are areas that get cooling effects from the Delta and therefore can hold on to their acid levels pretty well. And this is not a 16% ABV Zin
2019 Pareto’s Estate Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi, California
91 Points and Top 100 Best Buys, Wine & Spirits
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $180/case MSRP
About The Winery
Pareto’s Estate Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jan 29 - Wednesday, Jan 31
2019 Pareto’s Estate Old Vine Zinfandel
6 bottles for $59.99 $10/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $99.99 $8.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Previous offer and Lab Rat Report
Monica and I were lucky to be chosen as labrats for the 2019 Pareto’s Estate Old Vine Zinfandel. We received the bottle on Thursday. We opened it and tasted it a few hours after it arrived. We noted plum as the predominate note on the the palate. We set the bottle aside and waited until Friday night for dinner to explore the wine a little more.
On Friday we decided to pair it with garlic sesame noodles.
It turned out to be a great pairing. The nose continued to show predominately plum with some dark fruit notes. There was a hint of leather and pepper. The palate continued to show dark fruit with plum and cherry. Very smooth with integrated tannins. Mild alcohol that is not really noticeable. Very easy to drink. This is a wine to drink soon. We saved a glass and finished the bottle a few hours later. The wine was mellow, the leather showing up a little bit stronger. Overall an enjoyable wine and an incredible bargain at the offered price.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2019 Pareto’s Estate Old Vine Zinfandel - $20 = 16.66%
That W&S review is in the previous offer link from Dec '21…since then Sept '23 reverse wine snob offered this:
The 2019 Pareto’s Estate Old Vine Zinfandel opens with attractive aromas of dark berry and spice with hints of licorice, vanilla and a brambly note. It’s really enticing especially after it has some air.
The wine tastes just as you would expect from the nose, which is a very good thing. Smooth and balanced in the mouth this is quite easy to drink making it a great Zin to pull out at a party or barbeque.
It ends dry and long with lingering vanilla and spice-tinged fruit. Yum! We found it to be at its best after a couple of hours of air so plan accordingly.
fwiw
How old are the vines? Pretty sure “Old Vine” is similar to calling something “All Natural”, in that there is no standard to meet in order to make the claim.
Something about older vines (and higher altitudes) does seem to contribute to better juice but it would be helpful to have an idea of just how gnarly these vines are. Not trying to cast doubt but curious about the specifics.
Labrat reporting for duty! SWMBO and I had a chance to sample this bottle last night with some Bellavita cheese. We have traditionally been zin fans, although are drinking a bit less of that variety as of late. Lodi is not an AVA we have a lot of experience with, so it was a good chance to see what it has to offer.
On pnp, I get some muted aromas of cherry and spice, a bit on the candied, jammy side. The color was a nice garnet, clear with no sediment.
My first taste yielded red fruit, mostly sour cherry with a touch of oak and mild tannins. I feared that with the hot climate in Lodi this might come across as flabby, but the acid was good and held up to the cheese nicely. The finish was short-medium with a slight bitterness which was not overpowering. The body was a bit on the light/thin side. SWMBO noted currants and a touch of alcohol, and felt it went well with the cheese.
I came away a bit surprised to see the low ABV and medium acidity in a Lodi wine. I wonder if they used RO on this to bring down the alcohol. Regardless, I think this is a decent daily drinker/table wine. I think it delivers at the (case) price point but not much more than that.
This is a pass for me as It doesn’t ship to my state, I am on a SIWBM and have more than my share of daily drinkers. I do think this would be a decent fit for someone looking in this area.
Thanks to Alice, WD, and the winery for the chance to try this wine. Cheers!
@hscottk I should add that, while this had a jammy quality on the nose, it was not sweet when consumed. I also read the winery description with sea breezes that may account for the solid acidity.
A couple things here:
Plenty of ‘old vine’ Zin in Lodi, but you are right - there is no legal definition for what old vine means
This is a Scheid Vineyard project - makes sense with the winery being located in Monterey County
Though it is warm in Lodi, there are areas that get cooling effects from the Delta and therefore can hold on to their acid levels pretty well. And this is not a 16% ABV Zin
Cheers.
Justall wanted to pop in to say that I am drinking Revelry right now and it is fantastic. Thank you all who made this blend possible!