Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel – 2005 Vintage

Last week while in Indianapolis, some colleagues and I had the chance to dine at Indy’s renowned St. Elmo Steakhouse.  This place has been a landmark in Indianapolis since 1902.  And rest assured, if you are planning on going to Indianapolis, everyone that has been there will give you the recommendation to go to St. Elmo’s! 

We started the evening with dirty martini’s (blue cheese stuffed olives) before moving on to  a bottle of the Klinker Brick Old Vine Zin.  I thought this would be a good choice, based on the assumption we would probably be eating some red meat (steak) and that a couple of my colleagues were red wine newbies.  I have had this zinfandel several times before, and it never disappoints. 

I was right.  The 2 gals I shared this with loved it!  I was again amazed that this wine showed so much complexity  with lots of berries and spice.  Furthermore the mouth feel is smooth and lush,(and dare I say chocolate – like?) - which really wowed my friends.   If you are looking for a superb value on a magnificent zinfandel, this one is a must!  It retails for $15-17 and drinks like it is in the $40+ range.

The rest of dinner was fabulous as well.  Filet mignon topped with melted blue cheese crumbles, baked potato (roasted with kosher salt) , sauteed asparagus…it was old school steakhouse perfection!