Glen Ellen Proprietor's Reserve Old Vine Zinfandel 2008 from Concannon

In my last post I started to say something about a recent discussion I had with a few friends about 'cheap' wines and quality.  This is the wine we were drinking that started that discussion. A Glen Ellen Old Vine Zinfandel, Proprietor's Reserve 2008.
I had already posted my review on the Glen Ellen Petite Sirah in October, which I concluded that it was maybe the best Petite Sirah you can find at that price.  Their Zin is even better.

Winemakers Notes:
The immensely flavorful grapes of our classic Zinfandel mostly come from rare 120-year-old vines.  We cold ferment the must to extract the deepest color and flavor and age the wine for at least 9 months in American and French oak barrels.
Our Old Vine Zinfandel is a medium-bodied wine with berry and blackberry aromas and a hint of spice that is the perfect partner to everyday foods such as barbecue, pasta and burgers.

My Notes:
I should say here our notes, as we all discussed the wine before I dropped the price on them.
The wine had a dark garnet color with aromas of black raspberry, a little vanilla and a hint of baking spices, almost like fresh apple pie just out of the oven.  Some blueberry added to a fruitful taste with very small hint of spice. A very smooth taste with a very long smooth finish.

We finished the 1.5 liter bottle with some flat bread pizza, chicken quesadillas, pot stickers and deep fried mushrooms. The wine was fantastic with the pizza, great with the quesadillas and let's not talk about the deep fried foods which would have paired better with a cold Sam Adams Lager.  What was left for sipping was even better.  Best of all was, of course, the price.  Suggested retail for a 1.5 liter bottle is $10.
Great wine, great price and a great Xmas gift. Just get a big stocking, it's a big bottle.

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from the PR folks representing the brand.