Michael David The Seven Deadly Zins 2013: Inky color; plum, cherry nose; juicy dark plum, sweet cherry, raspberry, pepper, spice, plenty of oak on the palate, boysenberry pie on the finish;
racy acidity (3.58 pH) helps balance fruitiness and oak attack; 15% alcohol, virtually no tannin; lush, soft, velvety. This is Michael David’s flagship zin; it is built in florid, fruity, mass market style (280,000 cases in 2013). Michael David consistently delivers well-made, crowd-pleasing wines. This flirts with being a too-jammy oak monster, but—as MD consistently does—acidity and just-enough restraint on fruit ripeness keeps Michael and David Phillips from getting over their skis; life on the edge in Lodi. MD excels at making affordable, delicious, easily available wines; this effort affirms that position again. Readers know of my respect for Michael David Winery; Robert Parker agrees: “Year in year out, this is one of the best value wineries in the entire world.” If it is seven deadly sins to indulge in this hedonistic, voluptuous pleasure, slurp away and ask for forgiveness later. God will understand. $16
Second photo: Michael and David Phillips
