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Suggest a Zinfandel, and you're apt to get one of two reactions:
Oh, no!!! It's too sweet!! Or when a red wine comes to the
table, "No, I ordered a Zinfandel." This consumer
EXPECTS a sweet wine, and one that's pink. And I've seen big,
burly truck driver types order the pink ones.
Why so much confusion? Why the swing between pink and sweet?
Or red and dry? Which one is it? Well, it's both, actually.
The mysterious grape known as Zinfandel is thought of as America's
grape, although it does have European parentage. (America's
real native grape may well be Norton, a/k/a Cynthiana, but
that's another story for another day.)
How Zinfandel got here is unclear, but what is clear is that
only in the New World has it developed a winemaking tradition.
The latest skinny on its ancestry is that it is of Croatian
origin, descending from a grape called Plavic Mali.
Research makes it pretty clear that Zinfandel's roots, as
well as those of Primitivo which was previously thought to
be its forebear, lie most likely in Croatia, part of former
Yugoslavia, and most specifically in Dalmatia. DNA matches
have linked it to a variety locally called Crljenak Kasteljanski
(also Pribidrag or Tribidrag). Researchers both in this country
and in Croatia have found that Italy’s Primitivo and California’s
Zinfandel are genetically alike, but, having been separated
so long, seem to have evolved clonal differences. Perhaps
they descend from the same ancestor, too. It's hard to tell.
Zinfandel almost ceased to exist in California, partly because
nobody wanted those high-alcohol wines. Farmers were even
ripping up old vines! So producers, led by Sutter Home, which
launched the first "blush" wine, found it could
make economic sense to keep the vines and make these insipid
sweet acidless wines for the masses, thus justifying NOT ripping
out ancient vines. As wine "connoisseurs" heap scorn
on white Zinfandels, they should remember they wouldn't have
ANY Zin to drink were it not for this development. Some white
Zins even have tasted like rose', with good fruit and good
acidity, such as the one DeLoach used to produce, with some
grapes for the program coming from old vines.
Zinfandel is tough to make. It ripens unevenly, yielding clusters
that are at various stages of ripeness, and making hand picking
almost a necessity, as mechanical harvesting wouldn't be able
to distinguish among the clusters. Then hand sorting. And
gentle pressing. So a really good Zin costs money to produce,
and is not cheap to savor.
If a producer waits long enough for your clusters to get ripe,
the sugars will be high, and there goes your alcohol. So Zinfandel
tends to be high in alcohol, at least 14.5%. There's almost
no way around it. Trouble is, the higher the alcohol, the
more it fatigues the palate and the tougher it is to pair
with food. Make a cocktail out of it if you wish (I wouldn't),
or better, make it an after-dinner quaff with dark chocolate,
treating it as a port. Incidentally, Zinfandel makes a really
tasty port.
At a recent trade tasting, I went through a bunch of Zinfandels,
and a colleague from out of town suggested various ones, all
of which I found over the top. Too big in alcohol. Disjointed.
He liked them, but I didn't. Finally, he found one he said
I would like, and he was right (the Fanucchi below). But another
half dozen or so fell by the wayside in my view. I still prefer
a Zinfandel that has balance, granting it's a tough assignment
because of its alcohol. But as these show, it can be done.
Serve Zinfandel (the red one) at cool room temperature to
boost the fruit and temper the alcohol in tall tulip-shaped
glasses. Riedel makes a glass just for Zinfandel, and in fact
considers the Zinfandel glass its most global in utility.
So if you had to buy just one Riedel glass, make it the Zinfandel
glass.
While Zinfandel's home appears to be in California, there
are Zins grown around the world. California expatriate John
Kemble does a lovely one (Kemblefield) in Hawk's Bay, NZ (Quality
Wine & Spirits). I also like the Kangarilla Road Zin from
McLaren Vale, Australia (Georgia Crown). Those are both in
the Atlanta market. A couple of good examples come from Baja
California, Mexico: L. A. Cetto and Chateau Camou. These are
not in the Atlanta market, but the next time you're in Mexico,
have a taste.
Want a tasty red Zin dish? Take the classical recipe for coq
au vin, and make the dish with pancetta and a good red Zin.
Hubba!
If you like red Zins that treat your palate to being slapped
upside by a 2x4, you might not find these big enough. But
they will go with food. They're positively exciting. And would
appeal to folks who don't like red Zins as they find them
too massive, or as some of my women friends say "too
thick."
Serve all red Zins at cool room temperature, about 65 degrees.
Remember, because they're high in alcohol, you want to emphasize
the fruit by controlling temperture. Like all wines, they'll
show more alcohol the warmer they are and more fruit the cooler
they are.
Jane Garvey
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Clos la Chance
Zinfandel 2002
El Dorado County, CA
Score: 88 Points
Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied
dry red wine; medium-deep dark cherry red. Initial burst of
nutmeg-accented berry aromas, soon settling into red raspberry
aromas with a notch of coconut and aromatic fruitcake spices.
Somewhat like a baking Bakewell tart. Picks up a tea note as
time goes on. Spice and cherry/raspberry flavors define the
palate, with black pepper a half mark of the long finish. Typical
Zin alcohol at 14.5%, and finish shows some heat. But not over-extracted
and possessing firm, slightly chalky tannins. Not over-the-top.
American oak, 30% new, but wine is not "oaky." El
Dorado County was solid Zin country early on. Food
Pairings: Rich pate', chipotle chicken salad (Whole
Foods)--superior!, pasta with portobello mushrooms (whether
as salad--quite tasty--or as a hot pasta dish); lasagne, Cajun
grilled chicken, beef or pork fajitas with sautéed bell peppers,
onions, fresh salsa; roast pork, turkey, chicken, or duck;
Price: $16
Wholesaler: Prestige Wine Wholesale
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Norman "The
Monster" Zinfandel 2003
Paso Robles, CA
Score: 89 Points
Tasting Notes: Medium-full-bodied
dry red wine; translucent dark cherry red. Aromas of spice,
dried dark and red fruits; flavors suggest raisins without being
"raisiny," and bolster that with plenty of fresh dark
fruit. Tannins are firm but not violent at all. Hefty alcohol,
15.8%, but the fruit handles it with good grace. This gets close
to the "big" style a lot of Zin fans like, but still
is graceful and balanced, as well as very well integrated. Have
tasted "The Monster" over many vintages, and found
it initially hot, then more restrained. This vintage notches
back toward the bigger style just a little bit, but hangs on
to the balance beam. Mostly done in tank, with some American
oak staves and chips. Very, very nice work. Food
Pairings: Rich, dense pate's, Patak's smoked liverwurst,
Whole Foods' smoked mozzarella pasta salad; roast ham or grilled
ham steak; braised veal steak with caramelized onions; braised
short ribs with parsnip mashed potatoes; lasagna; Southern
style barbecue with medium-bodied tomato-vinegar sauce; fajitas
with beef or pork; roast turkey; roast Cornish hen or duck;
raw milk Cheddar or other mild firm cheese, also creamy blue
(Combozola), dark chocolate
Price: $20
Wholesaler: General Wholesale |
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C. G. di
Arie Zinfandel 2003
Shenandoah Valley, CA
Score: 96 Points
Tasting Notes: Big, full-bodied
but balanced dry red wine; medium deep inky dark-cherry red.
To sniff or to sip, that's the dilemma. Heavenly aromas of dark
and red berries, with just a whiff of mocha-caramel-vanilla,
suggesting some American oak (10% as it turns out). Beautiful
palate, with well-integrated fruit/oak/tannin. Layers of flavors--red
raspberry and currant define the fruit--roll across the palate
like a mighty river and just won't quit. Long, clean, fruit-filled
finish. Very soft tannins. Can Zinfandel be better? I hardly
think so. I even know a French sommelier who thinks this one
is at the top of the game. And he's right!!! Oak program includes
French and Hungarian oak along with the American. Turkish-born
owner/winemaker Chaim Gur-Arieh, once a tank officer in the
Israeli Army, has a Ph.D. in food science and developed your
favorite kid cereal: Cap'n Crunch!!! A long way from Zinfandel.
He's also developed a proprietary submerged cap fermentation
method that, he says, yields this Zinfandel's characteristic
easy tannins. Gorgeous work. Have tasted several vintages, and
loved them all. Food Pairings:
Full-flavored foods: Spanish-style chorizo; white bean dishes;
garlic-accented pasta dishes; peppered liver pàte'; raspberry-chipotle-glazed
roast pork tenderloin, Cornish hen or grilled duck breast;
grilled veal chop, ham or lamb steak; roast chicken; dark
meat turkey or rabbit stewed with prunes and sun-dried tomatoes;
mild firm but creamy textured cheeses (Caccio di Roma, Robiolo),
high-cocoa dark chocolate
Price: $25
Wholesaler: Grapefields |
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Madrigal
Family Zinfandel 2002
Napa Valley, CA
Score: 95 Points
Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied
dry red wine; medium dark-cherry red color. Aromas of dark berries
and spice, with fresh dark fruit flavors. Extremely clean sweet
red raspberry-kissed fruit, with soft tannins. 14.8% alcohol,
but totally no sense of it in the nose or finish. Gorgeous balance.
No palate fatigue here! Just judiciously delicious. Lovely fruit-filled
finish. Just 3% Petite Sirah blended in. 100% American oak barrels
(half new and half two- and three-year-old barrels), but only
slightly hinted at in a bit of coconut in the finish that shortly
disappears. A new personal favorite. Food
Pairings: Patak's smoked liverwurst (unbelievably good!0,
smoked meats, grilled or smoked sausage, chorizo, pasta dishes
with assertive garlic, game, braised short ribs with parsnip
mashed potatoes; braise pork chop; stews; roast chicken or
duck; Cornish game hens; stews; grilled lamb steak or veal
chop, mildly flavored firm raw milk cheeses; very dark chocolate
Price: $28
Wholesaler: Medusa Vineyards |
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Fanucchi
Vineyards "Old Vines" Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard
Zinfandel 2000
Russian River Valley (Sonoma CO.), CA
Score: 95 Points
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied dry
red wine; translucent ruby red. Positively heady aromas, focused
on dark cherry, spice red raspberry and plum. Beautiful dark
fruit flavors, with spice and silky tannins. Extraordinary.
You can sip this again and again and again, without suffering
palate fatigue. Typical Zin alcohol, 14.9%. Mostly done in French
oak, 27% American oak, but much of it used barrels, so oak is
neutral. Pronounced fan-U-key, the Italian way.
Food Pairings: Peppered liver
pate', and probably also peppered tuna and steak au poivre;
chipotle chicken salad; potrobello mushroom pasta, whether hot
pasta or cold pasta salad; fajitas with beef or pork; braised
garlic-studded short ribs of beef, pork steak; veal roast with
caramelized onions; barbecue; grilled sausages; salami; chorizo;
creamy blue cheese (Combozola--awesome!), raw milk Cheddar;
dark chocolate
Price: $34
Wholesaler: United Distributors |
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Dashe Late
Harvest Zinfandel 2004
Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma County), CA
Score: 91 Points
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied sweet
(12% residual sugar) red wine; opaque dark red. Aromas of dark
dried fruits, reminiscent of raspberry liqueur, with suggestion
of sweet wet freshly mowed grass lingering under a warm sun.
Intense raspberry flavors, almost like a framboise but holds
back just a bit, making it actually easier to enjoy. Nice acidity
runs through it. One sip compels another. Positively addictive.
From the Meeker Ranch, old vines, in northern Sonoma County.
Good interim term cellaring potential. Layered, distinctive,
complex. Dry Creek Valley is known for its excellent Zins, and
Dashe is a Zin specialist. Harvested in October, the grapes
were wrinkled but not raisined. This is just the winery's third
vintage of tricky-to-produce LH Zin. Unfiltered, so consider
decanting.
Food Pairings: Dark chocolate,
of course, dark chocolate Madeleines, dark chocolate-dipped
red fruits; spice cake; semi-soft mild cheeses, such as Cascio
di Roma or creamy blues such as Combozola. Might like to drizzle
some over plain cheesecake.
Price: $24/375ml
Wholesaler: Prestige Wine Wholesale
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