More Zinfandels of Interest

GAMBA

The Gamba winery produces big, pushing-the-envelope, fasten-your-seatbelt kinds of Zinfandel.  These are not for the faint of heart or consumers looking for elegant, refined red wine.

They make wine from their own vines as well as purchasing grapes from a Windsor area vineyard called Moratto.  

Production in the vineyards is small, typically less than a ton of grapes per acre.  

The secret of Gamba's wines is in the fruit selection.  They ask the pickers to select fully-ripened bunches and to discard those which are unevenly ripe (raisined or green get discarded).  When the grapes arrive at the winery, they do another selection via a sorting table.  

We currently have the 2010 "Estate" Zinfandel, a big, berryish, "gobs o' fruit" kind of wine.  The vines are on an east-facing site and were originally planted in 1920.  It's potent and deep, so pairing it with flavorful foods is a good idea.  I don't view this as a good cellaring candidate, finding wines like this tend to be at their best when they're young.  But is sure is showy right now...

Fasten your seat belt and open a bottle of this!

 

Currently in stock:  2010 GAMBA ZINFANDEL "Estate" Russian River Valley  SALE $34.99

 

 

GREEN & RED

Pam & Jay Heminway own this magnificent estate in the eastern hills of the Napa Valley.   They have 31 acres of vines split into three parcels.

They first planted the Chiles Mill site in 1972 when the adventure began and it's since been replanted.  The Catacula Vineyard was originally planted in the 1890s, but this got replanted in the early 1980s.   The Tip Top vineyard site took root in 1996 and 1997.

And these sites are planted at fairly high elevation levels.  Chiles Mill is around a thousand feet, with Catacula being 1200-1400 feet.  Tip Top is 1400-1800 feet!

The Green & Red name comes from the soil...it's got a fair bit of iron (red) with veins of serpentine (green), which is the state rock of California by the way.

Jay has been making a distinctive style of Zinfandel for 4+ decades and the wine is a bit of an "old school" style.  We're especially fans of the Chiles Mill vineyard bottling.  

His Zinfandel recipe produces a fairly gentle style of wine.  The wine gets a cold soak before the fermentation and then 9 days, or so, in an open top fermentation tank...then about a year in wood, half French and half American oak.  A small percentage of the American oak is new and we like the woodsy character this seems to impart to their Zinfandel.

We have the 2010 in stock presently.  It's a typical example of Green & Red Zinfandel, showing nice berry fruit and a mildly woodsy, brown spice note.  The wine is smooth enough to be on the dinner table tonight.  Pair it with braised short ribs, grilled lamb, steaks and other 'soul foods'.  

And though we view the wine as being immediately drinkable, we have enjoyed bottles with a serious amount of bottle age...and the wine has held up beautifully and evolved to where people, having it poured 'blind,' guessed it to be a Cabernet!

 

Currently in stock:  2010 GREEN & RED "Chiles Mill" ZINFANDEL $25.99

 

DOWNHILL WINERY

This producer is well below the radar, as winemaker Frank Ashton actually works for a Santa Cruz Mountains winery as his "day job" and he moonlights, producing some rather nice wines as his Downhill gig.

We tasted a really nice blend of Zinfandel and Syrah and it's called "Slippery Slope."  There's a really nice berry and spice element here and we can't say for sure whether it's the Zin or the Syrah contributing the brambly spice character.

It's medium-full on the palate and shows a hint of wood.  We sale-price it at fifteen bucks...a nice bargain in these up-hill economic times.

Currently in stock:  DOWNHILL WINERY 2007 "Slippery Slope"  Zin/Syrah Blend SALE $14.99

TRENTADUE WINERY

We've known the Trentadue family for decades!  We were one of their first customers, buying wine from them in the early 1970s.

Leo Trentadue used to own a jewelry store here on Broadway in Burlingame!  He used to live in the Santa Clara Valley and was sharp enough (or crazy) to buy some old abandoned winery atop a hill in Cupertino...this later became "Ridge Vineyards" and I think he sold it in the 1970s.   He's long been selling Zinfandel grapes to Ridge Vineyards in Cupertino for its "Geyserville" bottling of Zinfandel.  Today the fruit doesn't have to travel so far, since Ridge has a large Sonoma facility for vinifying its Sonoma fruit.

Trentadue routinely made rustic wines back in the 1970s and 1980s.  Finally they hired someone to actually make wine and the quality level increased substantially.

They make a good Zinfandel, but of particular interest to savvy wine buyers is their everyday blend, a wine called Old Patch Red.  The 2010 is in stock...Lot 34.  

The wine is predominantly Zinfandel.  You'll find a nice percentage of Petite Sirah and a little bit of Carignane and Sangiovese, too.  The fruit comes solely from the Alexander Valley this time and it's all grown by the Trentadue family.  Ten months' aging in wood softened the wine and it's a big, robust red with blackberry and raspberry fruit notes and some spice tones.  It's also a good value, in our view.

 

Currently in stock:  2010 Old Patch Red  (List $14)  SALE $9.99










BROWN ESTATE VINEYARDS

The Brown family has been in Napa's Chiles Valley for more than 25 years now.  The family purchased an old fixer-upper back in the early 1980s and over the next decade, or so, they planted something like 40 acres of vineyards.

Having the idea that winemakers who were buying their grapes found something special, the family decided to launch its own label.

The Zinfandel seems to have a loyal following and the wine is a bit different from many Zinfandels.  We tend to find the wine to be sweet and fruity.  There's usually a floral aspect to the candied elements of this wine and this attracts a certain segment of the wine market.  Perhaps you're a fan of Brown Zin?  

The 2008 vintage is a recent release.  Once quarter of the wine is matured in new oak barrels, the cooperage being half French and half American oak.  It's high in alcohol, too, the fruit being picked at a high level of sugar.  Definitely now for everyone...

Currently in stock:  2008 BROWN ESTATE Napa ZINFANDEL Sold Out

 

 

 

STEELE WINES

Jed Steele started out as the winemaker for a little Anderson Valley enterprise called Edmeades back in the 1970s.  From there he had a stint at Kendall Jackson, helping refine the style of wine which made Jess Jackson and family the big-time wine barons they are today.  He started his own label in the early 1990s and makes a number of interesting wines.  

The winery is located in Lake County and Jed buys fruit all over California and beyond (he makes a Washington State "Blaufränkisch").  Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are his main varieties, along with Syrah.  Zinfandel has long been a mainstay and we've periodically found good bottles worthy of our recommendation.

We have enjoyed many vintages of the Pacini Vineyard Zinfandel...it's routinely been good, though we skipped the 2008, a vintage plagued by numerous wildfires in the Mendocino area.  The smoke actually 'tainted' the grapes and was noticeable in many wines!

The 2009 is back on track.  Dark fruits...nice berry notes and there's a lovely wood spice, too.  It's a medium-full Zinfandel with softer tannins.   

The vineyard is in Mendocino and was planted by the Pacini family in the 1940s.  Jed bought the fruit for a number of years before simply purchasing the whole dang vineyard in 1996.  The vineyard ripens in stages so it's picked, typically, over a couple of weeks to maximize ripeness and fruit character.  They declassify various lots which don't measure up and bottle a wonderfully exuberant, berryish, nicely oaked Zinfandel. Minty, too.  

 

Currently in stock:  2009 STEELE Mendocino "Pacini Vineyard" ZINFANDEL  $18.99

 

SAUCELITO CANYON

One of our favorite Central Coast Zinfandels, this is the work of Bill and Nancy Greenough. They bought the Rancho Saucelito in 1974 from the grand-daughters of the English bloke who first planted vines on the property in the late 1870s.

The Greenoughs found some abandoned vineyards on the estate and nurtured some three acres into production. They have since added another five acres of Zin, plus two of Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is in the Arroyo Grande appellation, south of the town of San Luis Obispo. On the nose there's a hint of plum, prune, herbs and a touch of oak. Brown spices, to a degree, show up on the nose and palate.  The wine is medium-full bodied and not especially tannic. This is one of the few "Central Coast" Zinfandels we like well enough to actually stock in the shop.

Currently in stock: 2005 SAUCELITO CANYON Zinfandel Sold Out















TURLEY WINE CELLARS

Larry Turley was a partner with John & Julie Williams in establishing a funny little venture called Frog's Leap Wine Cellars.  Larry had a small property just off the St. Helena Highway which was a former frog farm.  Given that stags were leaping prominently elsewhere in the Napa Valley, it stands to reason that frogs should also be leaping.  After a few years the Frog's Leap project was so successful John Williams left his winemaking job at Mike Robbins' Spring Mountain Winery and was full-time at Frog's Leap. 

One day, out of the blue (so I'm told) Dr. Larry (a medical doc) tells Mr. & Mrs. Williams he wants a divorce and he's going to start his own winery making Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. 
The sun shines brightly in St. Helena and many people were commenting that Dr. Larry had been the victim of some sort of brain-frying.  Who, after all, in their right mind, would consider starting a winery to specialize in Zinfandel and Petite Sirah? 


The Williams' duo purchased Frog's Leap and Turley Wine Cellars took over the former frog farm. 
The original winemaker was Dr. Turley's famed sister, Helen Turley.  The keyword here is "was."  The assistant winemaker, Ehren Jordan, is now The Winemaker.  

The Turley wines have achieved "cult" status and are offered on secondary markets for amazingly steep prices. 
We receive a few bottles of Turley wines and always include them in our blind-tastings, allowing a greater number of people to, at least, have a chance to experience these.  

Turley is a believer in achieving the maximum from the various grapes and vineyards.   Yields in the vineyards, for example, are suppressed in hopes of producing a more flavorful grape.  I recall tasting a Robert Mondavi Zinfandel and being impressed.   The following vintage, Mondavi's wine was not so hot.  An enologist at Mondavi explained why:  "Helen Turley." 
She enticed the grower to sell his old vines' fruit to Turley Wine Cellars, instead.   

Old vines don't guarantee good quality.  We're seeing a number of "Old Vines" Zins from Lodi.  Turley makes a Lodi Zinfandel.  But they go there, pay the grower for the obscene quantity of fruit they normally harvest and then tell them they want the vineyard cultivated for a crop level of about two tons per acre.  The growers look at the Turley people as though they're idiots (the same way some thought they must have been out of their minds to focus on Petite Sirah and Zinfandel).  However, the results have been spectacular and, in my view, there oughta be legislation mandating that only Le Methode Turley may be employed in Lodi.  This would eliminate much of the appallingly weak wine coming from those vines!

Larry read a book about the effects of various soils on the vines and purchased the old Pesenti winery in the Central Coast.  I told him about Pesenti's old bottles which resembled the flasks cough medicine comes in.  He was intrigued with the prospects of making Zinfandel from the warm Paso Robles region which is grown on limestone.  The first vintages have been typical of Turley Zins...deep berry fruit, ripe, pedal-to-the-metal...

Turley's are huge, big, ripe, nicely-oaked wines.  They almost always show well in blind-tasting comparisons.  People who are accustomed to high acidity, lower alcohols (12%-13%) and virtually no wood in their wine will likely be bowled over by Turley wines.   The wines tend to be bright in fruit, 14-15% in alcohol and having a fair bit of cedary wood.

Please drink your Turley Zins young.  Don't rely on the reviews of various critics who advise holding on to them for 5 or 10 years.  Yes, the wines may have enough tannin to go that long, but it's doubtful the fruit will maintain for an extended period.  Our experience with Turley Zins is they're best within a few years of release.

Currently available:  "Hayne Vineyard" bottles are in stock...stop by...no mail orders...

MACAULEY

The Macauley label has been around since the early 1980s, but it only recently came to our attention.

Ann Macauley Watson had bottled some late harvest Sauvignon Blanc way back when she was entrusting the winemaking to famed graybeard, Ric Forman.

These days her son and our old pal Nils Venge's son, famous winemaker Captain Kirk Venge are making the wines.

We tasted a really snazzy 2009 Napa Zinfandel.  

"Old Vines" and it apparently comes from two vineyard sites in Napa.

We liked its exuberant blackberry and brambleberry fruit.  Nice spice, too and there's a mildly woodsy element here.  It's a big, powerful wine yet it remains reasonably balanced for such a blockbuster-styled Zinfandel.

Impressive.

Currently in stock:  MACAULEY 2009 Napa "Old Vines" ZINFANDEL  $35.99

 

 

 

ELYSE

Ray and Nancy Coursen named their winery after their daughter, Elyse.

The couple escaped from New England in the early 1980s and Ray took a job during the harvest of 1983 at Mount Eden Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  Having survived that experience, the couple moved to Napa and Ray worked for a vineyard management company before taking a job at Whitehall Lane.  

In 1987 they launched their own brand of wine and we've found some good wines wearing this label.  At one point, the prices, in our view, were a bit high.  With the economy in a down cycle, prices have moderated and we recently found a magnificent Napa Zinfandel which we thought warranted its price tag.

The 2007 A.K.A Zinfandel comes from two vineyard sites, one in Rutherford and the other in St. Helena.  The wine has about 14% Petite Sirah in it and we like the black pepper notes from both grape varieties.  There's a hint of wood in the wine, too, as this was matured in 30% new American oak.

It's very showy now and we suggest pairing it with well-seasoned meats...grilled, roasted or braised.  A rack of ribs will also pair handsomely with this wine.

Currently in stock:  2007 ELYSE Napa AKA ZINFANDEL Sold Out

RAFANELLI

One of the sales techniques used by some wineries is to restrict sales of their products in shops so customers have trouble locating their wines.  This bit of psychology can work on a limited basis, making some people want the wine more because it's hard to find.  We've seen, though, sometimes customers simply give up and are no longer loyal to such brands when there are so many roadblocks to making a purchase.


Rafanelli was started by an old winemaker, Americo Rafanelli.  We were one of his first customers.  The next generation of Rafanelli's runs the place today and they prefer to sell the wine exclusively in restaurants.  It is remarkable that this Zin can be found in relatively modest-quality dining establishments (to be charitable) but not a "fine wine" shop.  This is short-sighted and greedy marketing.  Seems to work for them, though.

We no longer have access to these wines.

 

JOULLIAN

Monterey County isn't exactly on the map of great Zinfandel-producing wine regions, but there's one little outpost where the grape seems to thrive...in the Carmel Valley.

As Zinfandel drinkers are aware, "Ridge" is a great name for this variety.  So it's ironic the winemaker at Joullian is named "Ridge," though he's not affiliated with "Ridge Vineyards" apart from his opening a bottle of their wine every now and again.

Ridge Watson has been making good wines at Joullian since they started the place.  Though Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are the main wines, Zinfandel has received special attention from the start.  

Founder Dick Sias took special care in sourcing cuttings to plant.  He began with vines from an Amador County vineyard which was a clone recommended by the famous viticulture specialist, Dr. Frederic Bioletti.  The good doctor was instrumental in grape growing before Prohibition and was the most respected vineyard guy in his day.  Sias also obtained cuttings from Lytton Springs and a nearby site in Cloverdale, as well as from Napa and a clone from Italy's Puglia region where Primitivo thrives.  Now add to this minestrone a few vines of Carignane, Grenache, Aleatico and Alicante Bouchet and you're really playing with fire.

Watson co-ferments all this wacky components and his 2004 is a delightful wine!  We had it in a blind-tasting and the wine was very distinctive and quite good.  I liked the spicy, peppery notes.  The grape is the focus, rather than oak or jam.  It's mildly tannic and perfect partnered with a well-seasoned red meat course.

 

Currently in stock:  2004 JOULLIAN Carmel Valley ZINFANDEL Sold Out

RAVENSWOOD

Ravenswood has established itself as a source of some big, rich, pedal-to-the-metal Zinfandels.  Though they bottle a slug of "Vintner's Blend" wines, a modest quality line-up, the single vineyard Zinfandels are what attract the most attention to the Ravenswood lineup.   

Winemaker Joel Peterson started his Ravenswood adventure back in the "old days", the first vintage being 1976!  He was one of the first in today's modern era to play with indigenous yeast fermentations.  Long skin contact has been a part of the Ravenswood "recipe", along with French oak (though it's been impossible to accuse these wines of being "oaky").  

I think the single vineyard wines have grown a bit more refined over the past few years and are big, brawny, somewhat old-style (rustic?) Zinfandels.  Like Robert Biale, Ravenswood has recently gotten some fruit from Louis Martini's Monte Rosso vineyard in the Sonoma Valley, though now that Gallo owns Louis Martini, they're not selling fruit to Ravenswood.

I find most of the wines to be a bit "flat" tasting.  They tend to be big, brawny and ripe.  A recent blind-tasting showed they're making powerful, potent wines.  The two we included in the tasting were of "red table wine" caliber, lacking Zinfandel character.  The wines were tannic and hot tasting.  

Constellation Brands owns Franciscan, Estancia and Mount Veeder wineries, as well as a number of less noteworthy alcoholic beverages.  So far, founder Joel Peterson is still "the man" here and the wines have remained unchanged.

We simply have not found wines which we like well enough to bring in to the shop and recommend, but we'll gladly order their wines for you.

Currently available:  By Special Order

DON SEBASTIANI & SONS (Plungerhead Zin)

The Sebastiani name is well-known in California wine history.  The Sebastiani winery started out as a bulk wine producer before old August Sebastiani began bottling wine in magnums decades ago.  

August's son Don Sebastiani spent a few years in the California legislature and later ran the family business.  After leaving the Sebastiani winery, Don and his sons, Donny and August set up a new company.  Calling themselves "The Other Guys," they seem to revel in offering various wines at below-normal market prices.

They came out with this marvelously silly, but certainly memorable, label.  Plungerhead.  It's got quite a fan club, apparently.

      

The first incarnation of Plungerhead Zinfandel came from Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley.  Lovely wine and it sold like crazy at its modest price tag.

Then The Other Guys got too smart and offered three bottlings of Plungerhead Zinfandel.  There was a Lodi bottling at the price of the first Dry Creek bottling, a mid-priced Sierra Foothills wine and then the near Twenty-Buck Dry Creek Zin.  

We stopped selling the wine altogether...no room for all three...not enough time in the day to explain the differences and $20 is simply too much for a wine our customers viewed as "everyday priced."  


The 2007 was included in a blind-tasting of Zinfandels and what a curious wine this was!  It had virtually no character of Zinfandel, but was loaded with oak and then even more oak.  Plungerhead Zin was more reminiscent of a cocktail than wine...

The bottles are sealed with an interesting closure called a "Zork."  It's an alternative to cork and is easy to open.

We hope they will soon have a wine which better represents the Zinfandel grape from its roots rather than using wine as a vehicle for wood flavorings.

Currently in stock:  PLUNGERHEAD Dry Creek Valley ZINFANDEL  (Was $19)  Waiting for a More Zinfandel-like Bottling to Taste

 

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