While it might make up 10% of United States plantings the grape variously known as Zinfandel, Primitivo and Crljenak Kaštelanski has yet to establish a substantial footing in Australia, Not that you'd be expecting too many people outside its native Croatia to be trying to pronounce Crljenak Kaštelanski. There might be a bit of an issue with consumers where Primitivo is concerned as well, though that seems a perfectly acceptable descriptor for the big robust high alcohol knuckle-scraper style that seems to be synonymous with red Zinfandel.
The continuing rise of the alternative varieties is likely to change that, however, which brings the question of learning how to handle and what to do with what is, by all accounts, a rather ornery varietal into play.
Brown Brothers would put it through The Nursery and release the result as a Limited Production Cellar Door offering while they worked things through, and the decision to throw this into the Everyday Drinking Range at Tahbilk looks to be along the same lines. As an $8.95 Limited Release it'll give the punters a chance to try it while those other matters sort themselves out.
Tahbilk Everyday Drinking 'Limited Release' 2009 Zinfandel (4* $8.95) While I was expecting a big brawny knuckle-scraper of a wine, this one, while certainly substantial in flavour, tannin and alcohol/volume (they don't provide an exact percentage on the label but 8.9 standard drinks puts it in well over the 15% mark) came across as remarkably rounded and while it certainly packs a punch it was remarkably easy drinking. Given the Limited Release side of things it won't be around forever, and in any case I don't know that I need a dozen of these little devils, but as one-third of the Everyday Drinking New Releases Dozen @ $80 (RRP $95.40) along with Everyday Drinking 2007 Chairman’s Red and 2008 Chardonnay I may well be lining up for more around mid-March (assuming, of course, there's any left)
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