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Article By: SANDY BLOCK, MW
This is the big red that you can open up and drink without having to worry about whether it's "ready" or not. It provides direct sensual pleasure that is usually not cloaked behind barricades of tannin. And it's not for everyone. The potent, sometimes dizzying alcohol levels tend to put many wine drinkers off. Indeed some versions of the variety can almost strike one as caricatures. Particularly to European tastes, experiencing what has been called elsewhere the "Turley-ization" of Zinfandel, the impulse to push fruit extract, ripeness and body to the maximum, sometimes constitutes an unpleasant shock. So to be able to enjoy this big, intense red wine with alcohols generally approaching if not exceeding 15% is seen by some as a badge of membership in a somewhat macho, yet esoteric club.
At the same time there are a number of myths about Zinfandel that have kept appreciation of the grape somewhat narrower than it should be. One is that it doesn't age and is always best consumed a few years after the vintage; another one I've heard expressed is that Zinfandels all somehow taste the same; a third holds that the grape can make a wine of massive power but no subtlety or finesse. During a seminar and dinner at the Boston Wine Festival I presented several years ago, we had 18 different California examples, each from a different AVA, each with a distinct character and flavor profile. To me it was conclusive illustration of the grape's versatility and ability to reflect in very dramatic ways the conditions in which it is grown. In particular the bottlings from the many "old vine" plantings throughout the State showed unmistakable "terroir" characteristics. Because of this transparency, the rage for vineyard designation in California has affected Zinfandel more so than any other red variety besides Pinot Noir. Historically some of the finest producers of the grape have offered a multitude of bottlings made in limited quantities rather than one or two blended cuvees.
As to the aging question and the idea of elegance rather than raw unbridled, a visit last summer to the renowned Lytton Springs vineyard in Dry Creek Valley and a tasting there with the celebrated "three R's" of Zinfandel, (Paul Draper of Ridge, Joel Peterson of Ravenswood and Kent Rosenblum of his eponymous winery) dispelled those myths in short order. Some of the wines reviewed at right had significant bottle age and showed how appropriate maturation can transform the grape's signature bold grapey characteristics into flavors that still exhibit abundant fruit, while revealing new layers of complexity and elegance only hinted at in youth. The ones listed were all fabulous wines, highly worthy of collection and consumption. They are listed by producer rather than in any hierarchy of "favorites" as trying to distinguish among them would be splitting hairs at best.
Ravenswood
"Belloni Ranch" Zinfandel Ravenswood
"Teldeschi" Zinfandel Ravenswood
"Old Hill Ranch" Zinfandel Ravenswood
"Old Hill Ranch" Zinfandel Rosenblum
"Maggie's Reserve" Zinfandel Rosenblum
"Carla's Vineyard" Zinfandel Ridge
"Geyserville" Zinfandel Ridge
"Geyserville" Zinfandel Ridge
"Lytton Springs" Zinfandel Ridge
"Lytton Springs" Zinfandel
Russian River Valley, 2OO4
Joel Peterson's tutelage under the legendary Joseph
Swan in the early and mid 197Os helped develop his
early appreciation for the European classics and
constituted a seminal influence in developing the
Ravenswood style, with its historic emphasis on, as
he today puts it "wines that come from a place."
This cool climate Zin showed a wealth of floral,
black plum aromatics and a concentrated somewhat
pruney flavor along with poignant sharp-edged
acidity. With vines approaching 1OO-years-old and,
consequently, very low yields coming from its
predominantly sandy soils, the Belloni's level of
flavor concentration was impressive. At the same
time the tannins soft and understated, making this
an ideal starter Zinfandel, even in its youth, for
the uninitiated.
Dry Creek Valley, 2OO4
From the warmer climate red clay soils of the
northeast Dry Creek Valley, this wine is also made
from vines mostly nearing the century mark. It had
a deeper ruby-bluish color, with super-ripe
chocolatey aromas and a black dried cherry, velvety
rich flavor accented with sweet spices and gritty
tannins. This is just a beautiful wine: lush,
evocative and quintessentially Dry
Creek.
Sonoma Valley, 2OO4
Peterson's third Sonoma Valley bottling showed the
smoky, tarry side of Zinfandel, with an interesting
undertone of cooked vegetables. Like Belloni this
was also a big heavily extracted wine with
blackberry and chocolate flavors and strong ripe
tannins. At this point it was much tighter than the
other two and I felt it needed some
cellaring.
Sonoma Valley, 1992
This mature Old Hill Ranch showed intriguing leafy,
herbal, tobacco-like aromas nuances along with
sensations of mushroom and damp earth. Considerably
softer and mellower than its youthful counterpart,
it still had plenty of lively black fruit and a
long velvety finish.
Sonoma, 2OO3
This was my favorite among the three 2OO3
Zinfandels that Kent Rosenblum presented, each of
which showed intense colors, and sweet chocolate
tones that I felt in this wine were balanced by a
combination of very ripe jammy red cherry fruit and
a distinctly creamy texture. Originating from
Sonoma Valley's Samsel Vineyard, again
predominantly from 1OO-year-old vines, the aromas
are heady and the flavors are so ripe there is an
impression of sweetness here as well, but the wine
comes across as extremely well balanced.
San Francisco Bay, 2OO2
Rosenblum uses a lot of heavily toasted American
oak barrels for maturation and the effect in this
wine is to blend beautifully with the Contra Costa
County fruit. Originating from a sandy soil plot in
suburban Contra Costa it seemed almost elegant in
comparison to the 2OO3s from Sonoma. Drier but
still very ripe, with chewy mocha-like flavor
concentration and a finish of smoky peppery red
fruit, it showed what an extra year in the bottle
will do to tame Zinfandel's intensity.
Alexander Valley, 2OO3
Paul Draper suggested that the AVAs as currently
constituted are far too broad geographically to
make sense. To illustrate he said that Geyserville
happens to be an unusually foggy Alexander Valley
site that is actually cooler on average than Dry
Creek Valley, despite the former's reputation for
having the warmer climate of the two. This wine
exhibited a lovely red berry fragrance, with
floral, sweet herb essences. Even in youth a wine
of great finesse, its pure cherry, silky fruit was
supported with a soft texture and very well
integrated tannins.
Alexander Valley, 1995
This was a stunning wine, one of the absolutely
finest Zinfandels I have ever tasted. Minerally
with a slightly tobacco-like, Provencal herb
bouquet (sage, lavender and rosemary), the textures
were smooth and polished with no rough edges. Lush
and cherry-like, featuring a suggestion of ripe
cheese, it had remarkable flavor length. Fully
mature, there were no indications at all that this
wine would need to be consumed any time
soon.
Dry Creek Valley, 2OO4
This delicious young wine had smoky but subtle
stylishness, with understated vegetal, mineral and
ripe black cherry aromas. Smooth though perhaps a
touch grittier than the Geyserville, it showed a
hint of chocolate and sweeter spices. Chewy and
elegant at the same time, the dark fruit lingered
for quite a while in the finish. To call it
"claret" style would be to invoke a prop that
Zinfandel no longer needs, but that is definitely a
word that came to mind tasting it. For what it's
worth, this was my absolute favorite of the current
releases, although all of the wines here are highly
recommended. Finding them is a different story.
Because all are released in limited bottlings, and
demand his so high, there is not a lot to go
around.
Dry Creek Valley, 1995
The older Lytton Springs showed quite a bit of
color development and aromatics featured leafy,
green fruit, brown spices and cherry. Concentrated
and ripe, with fuller, earthier flavors than its
youthful counterpart, it was still vibrant and
quite spicy with a satisfying cocoa-like accent in
the finish. Whereas I found the 1995 Geyserville a
stunner, this outstanding wine is made in a refined
and elegant mode.