By Darin Pemberton

Lynfred Winery is  a 30-something year old establishment just west of Chicago, IL.  The winery opened its doors in 1979 based on the dream of Fred and Lynn Koehler.  Now in a facility encompassing some 24,000 square feet, Lynfred maintains ‘Tasting Devine’ in nearby Wheaton, IL, and Naperville IL.    Like to stay all night? Good – Lynfred also operates Lynfred Suites, Bed & Breakfast! For more info, please see www.lynfredwinery.com

There’s a saying regarding the sum is greater than its parts.  Diving into my latest sampling from Lynfred Winery, I was hoping to find my next-best-favourite wines.  On paper, the Cab Sauv-heavy Cuvee had all the right players, co-starring with Zin, Merlot and Petite Syrah.   While this wine was crafted in Illinois, it features grapes grown in Washington and California, by favorite growers of the wine maker.

Technical details:

44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Zinfandel, 14% Merlot, 12% Petite Syrah, 7% Syrah, 5% Petite Verdot, 1% Pinot Noir and 1% Grenache

Aging:  French and American Oak

Alcohol: 13.5%

Residual Sugar: .2%

pH: 3.63

Total Acidity: 7 g/L

MSRP: $30

On the Nose: Sniffing through my Riedel, after sitting open about 20 minutes, I picked up notes of Licorice, Blackberries, Spices, a kind of musty-leather, and the smell of an old, wet Clarinet reed.

On the tongue: Strong vegital mixed with bitter-sweet cocoa. Jammy and fruity – tasted like rose petals and smokey butter.  I drank this wine with a large slab of fresh-grilled T-Bone steak, and frankly, the steak was too much for the Cuvée.  Suggested foods based on the information card received with the wine suggest peppercorn steer, brownies, and New York strip steak.   Because of that I was a little surprised at how the Cuvée had a difficult time with my meal – sides were wasabi mashed potatoes and grilled zucchini.  I suspect the bottle I sampled was a little off, as I was left with a slightly bitter aftertaste.   I’m going to have to give the Cuvée another shot – because the blend, the grapes, and Lynfred’s other products are right up my alley.

While over all the wine was acceptable, and I’d gladly serve it, the bottle I sampled, at an MSRP of $30 left me wanting.   Especially compared with the Zin I’ve recently reviewed from Lynfred, I didn’t feel the Cuvée was right for me at that price point – thus my

W.E.P. Rating:  70%

By Darin Pemberton

It’s been said the only constant in our lives is change.  Not the kind you find under your couch cushions – the kind that takes us from one state of being; one point of view; one condition to the next.   Last week my wife celebrated her 32nd birthday.  Folks have asked me what I got for her – what present did I buy.  I gave her the gift of change.   Up until last week one of my wife’s favourite wines was made by the late Colvin Vineyards of Walla Walla – their Allegresse.  Not a lot of folk I’ve met realize how good that juice was; it’s a shame the winery is no longer around.  The Colvin Allegresse is a wine my wife and i use as a measuring stick.  It’s generally asked like this:

“…did you like it better than the ‘gresse?”

I believe our new question may be more like “…how does that compare to the Lynfred Zin?”

The three-decades-old Lynfred Winery is located in Roselle, Illinois – just about 45 minutes west of Chicago – and is the creation based on “the love and ingenuity” of Fred and Lynn Koehler.   Starting with a turn-of-the-last-century home, the Koehlers created and organized a cellar during the house renovations.  Securely encased in 18″-thick walls, the cellar provides ideal conditions.   I can attest to that – based on the bottle I sampled for this review.

Thoughtfully included with the wine for this review was an information sheet which contained background information about the wine, as well as a suggested recipe – Savory Beef Stroganoff.  Thus, armed with an open bottle, a plate of Stroganoff, my wife and I sat to enjoy her Birthday dinner.

Technical Notes:

• Aged: American and French oak
• Residual sugar: 0.1%
• Alcohol percentage: 14
• Titratable Acid: 6.67 g/L
• pH: 3.67
• MSRP: $25.25

Awards

• Beverage Tasting Institute: Gold – 91 points
• Finger Lakes International: Silver
• San Diego International: Silver

Smells like: Strong notes of pepper, leather, a little musk and earthiness, sweet/fruity

Taste: When sipped my first thought was “Now that’s a zin!”  The wine seemed to jump out of my glass and breakdance on my tongue.  The taste invoked images of smoking a pipe while walking along a path in an evergreen forest after a spring rain.  I could ‘taste the smell’ of wildflowers, maybe a little nuttiness and butter – very aggressive yet non-offensive taste.  Very smooth across the tongue.    After about 15 minutes of smelling and tasting the wine I realized I’d forgotten about my dinner.  The Stroganoff was a spot-on match for this wine. The flavors of the dinner blended and complimented what I was drinking.   Within 30 minutes my wife and I had polished off all but about half-glass worth of the Zin.  I re-corked the wine and placed the bottle in the refrigerator.  Before dinner the next day I poured what was left into a glass and let it sit for about 15 minutes.   Swirl, snif, drink – again, the Zin was fantastic.  I was shocked, really, as I’ve had many wines lose half their moxie after an over-night in the chill box.

Don’t wait for your, or your mate’s birthday to crack open a bottle of this Zin – even if you have to rummage through your couch cushions, or under your car seats – dig up enough change to pick up a bottle of this wine.  Don’t wait for your birthday…go now.

WEP Rating:  115%