WF Archives, October 2005: California Red Zinfandels

I would like to restore the honor of Red Zinfandel wines from California, still fighting the stigma associated with the image of sweet, glorified party wine courtesy of White Zinfandel wines. That is not to say that White Zindandels, such as Sutter Homes, are without merit; they can succeed where other ‘bona fide’ wines fail, such as pairing well with sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. What needs to be clarified is that White Zinfandels and Red Zinfandels ("Zinfandels”) are as similar as night and day.

To this day, there is a shroud of mystery surrounding the origins of the Zinfandel grapes. Although Zinfandel grapes are unique to California, scientists believe that they are genetically identical to Primitivo grapes of Italy. What remains unanswered, owing to the lack of clear documentation, is how this European varietal ended up in California. Historical evidence suggests that Zinfandel did not reach California by the way of Italy, rather from country of a common origin, possibly Austria. What is clear is that after considerable time of separation, California Zindandel and Italian Primitivo grapes have developed a widely different style, character, and flavor.

At the very fundamental level, Zinfandel wines are medium bodied, fruity, and dry, with hints of spices or black peppers on the finish. My tasting of over dozen Zinfandel wines proved that there are surprisingly wide range of style and character within the Zinfandels. They are very versatile in pairing with food, accommodating wide range of meats, from light to dark to game. They also pair very well with mild ethnic food but not the spicy food, as the spicy finish of the wine serve to amplify the spiciness in food.

At the introductory level is a lighter 2002 Zinfandel by Cline Cellars ($10). The nose of the wine is suggestive of the flavor consisting of the sweetness from new French oak barrel and cherries. The finish is dry with spiciness of black peppers. This wine is low in tannins and should be drank young. This wine pairs especially well with lighter meats and pizza.

The second offering by Cline Cellars is their 2003 Ancient Vines Zinfandel ($15). These grapes are harvested from vines that are more than 100 years old, and there is a pronounced difference between regular vines and ancient vines. Much darker in appearance, the wine has a very toasty nose of oak. The flavor is full of sweetness of concentrated dark cherries, followed by hints of chocolate, coffee, spices, and peppers. The texture is much softer, and richer tannins suggest aging potential. The sweetness of this wine allows it to pair with wider range of food than their regular Zinfandel, and it is worth paying the extra $5. I had success matching this wine with gyro, while its tannins proved too much body for pizza.

Three of the best Zinfandels of the tasting reside in the $15~20 range. 2004 Joel Gott Zinfandel ($15) has a creamy nose that indicating good amount of oak. This medium-bodied wine has jam-like flavors of sweet dark cherries and raspberries, balanced by notes of vanilla and complemented by spicy finish. Unlike the Cline Ancient Vines, this wine possesses silky tannins. Joel Gott possesses enough sweetness to go well with barbecue sauce or spaghetti and meat sauce, always a difficult task for red wines.

A very similar wine with slightly more body and enhanced sense of richness is Seghesio Zinfandel ($18). Seghesio is my pick as the best of the category and best value performer. I had an opportunity to pair this with Dr. Canario’s slow roasted barbecued pork and grilled rib-eye roast. While the wine was a natural for the rib-eye roast, the interplay between rich and silky texture of the wine with smokey, supple and tender pork was simply extraordinary.

For those who prefer more fruit forward Zinfandel, I would recommend 2001 Burgess Zinfandel ($17). The grape has been distressed by the combination of high altitude and volcanic soil, resulting in a low-yield grape packed with concentrated fruit. The palate is packed with vibrant jam-like red berries flavor, followed by firm and spicy finish.

One of my all-time favorite Zinfandel was bit of a disappointment in this tasting. 2001 St. Francis Old Vine Zinfandel ($16) was unusually rich and Cabernet-like in body, owing to a very warm vintage of 2001. While I always admired the great balance of coffee-like oak and fruits that define St. Francis Winery, I found 2001 vintage to be out of balance due to overly inky texture and flavor. I must admit that I was very surprised with this conclusion, as the 2001 vintage is regarded as the best vintage of the recent years.

As one would suspect, the wines were very full-bodied at a higher price point. 2002 Ridge Vineyard Lytton Springs ($33) was a powerhouse, with concentrated sweetness of the dark cherry flavor as well as hints of dark chocolate, coffee, spices, and peppers, providing massive presence. Soft on the palate, the wine is very tannic with a “chewy” mouth-feel; that is, the wine seems to stick to the gums on the finish. This is no surprise, as Lytton Springs is a blend of rich red grape vairetals: 75% ancient vine Zinfandel, 20% Petite Syrah, and 5% Carignane. While the wine is approachable now, pairing very well with grilled fare such as sirloin cheeseburger, steak, and game, it can easily age for at least 10 more years.

The most expensive wine was 2002 Howell Mountain Vineyards “Black Sears” Zinfandel ($40). Although this wine was heavily tannic, it maintained vibrancy of the heavily concentrated dark fruit flavors. While Ridge was “chewy” on the tannins, Howell Mountains was silky, resulting in inky texture. This wine will need to age before its full potential can be realized. The signs are promising, but the jury is still out on this one.

On the final note, I had a rare occasion to taste an aged Zinfandel recently, courtesy of my colleague Gregory dal Piaz: 1975 Monterey Vineyards Zinfandel. We were cautiously curious of this tasting as one can be when discovering that Zinfandels are not typically seen as type of wine to age, and 1975 was not particulary a great vintage. At first, our initial fears were confirmed: the wine was vinegar. 15 minutes after opening, the brown/orange liquid was disjointed mess of highly acidic character with veil hints of fruit, and we proceeded to thank the spit bucket. Out of curiosity, we decided to give it more time figuring that we can wait for couple more hours after 30 years of waiting. Our patience was rewarded two hour later, as the flavors did opened up considerably, leading to a wine with a coherent balance between acidity, sweetness, and fruit. I guess the moral of the story is, if an old wine tastes like vinegar, wait few more hours with a spit bucket on hand.

Encouraged by this discovery, I will put aside a bottle of Ridge Zinfandel for prosperity. Perhaps, my tasting notes will show up in the October 2035 edition of the Winged Foot.