The Good Juice

Zinfandel. It’s California’s own unique grape varietal that has wine drinkers geeking out over it right now. Zinfandel is growing in popularity, and is garnering more respect year after year. Each Zin is a different animal, and takes on varying characteristics depending on the region and winemaker. “Well, duh!”, you might say, as other wines will differ based on location and winemaker. However, Zin covers a wide range of tastes from light and fruity, to thick and jammy. It can even offer subtle to medium spice notes as well. It’s also a great wine to bring white wine drinkers over to the lofty heavens that red wines offer. A prime example: Dan Littleton (one of the owners of The Cellar Door) is almost exclusively drinking Zins now, and only curses himself for not drinking them sooner!

This month, I present four different Zins that are not only fantastic, but they don’t break the bank either.

Ancient Peaks 2006 Zinfandel (Paso Robles). From acclaimed winemaker Mike Sinor (a graduate of Mt. Whitney HS and a high scoring winemaker from Domaine Alfred), his first Zinfandel with Ancient Peaks is simply amazing. With a retail price of $16-$20, this wine scored a big 93 points with Wine Spectator, awarding it “Wine Spectator’s Greatest Value of 2008”! Talk about coming out and swinging for the fence with this one! This Zin pops with aromas of red fruits with hints of brambleberry and toast. Jamminess on the palate with juicy flavors of blackberry, black cherry, boysenberry and raspberry. It has a nice, easy finish with hints of white pepper.

Karly 2007 “Pokerville” Zinfandel (Amador County). “Budget priced, but not budget quality”. We had Buck and Karly here last year for a Wine Club tasting, and everyone had a great time tasting Zin, Zin and more Zin (as Karly makes 5 different Zins each year)! This is another great budget item, retailing for $14-$20. The nose offers loads of blackberry jam with vanilla and just a hint of spice. On the palate, it will remind of dipping a spoon into a jar of blackberry preserves, as it is big and fruit forward. It has a relatively short finish, which proves to be both a good and bad thing (depending on your own personal taste). This budget Zin rocks and pops in your mouth.

Layer Cake 2006 “Primitivo” aka Zinfandel (Puglia, Italy). Recent “DNA” testing has shown that Primitivo and Zinfadel posses the exact same genetic makeup. While the grapes may be “identical”, the wines they produce have distinct differences. From the team that brings us Hundred Acre, one of the most impressive wines around, this Zin is big and jammy, without being thick and overdone. It’s surprisingly balanced, and it’s something that we pour by the glass whenever we can. The wine is opaque and purple-colored with a nose of jammy black cherry and blackberry fruit, truffles, tar and spice. Warm and rich in the mouth; the ripe fruit is well supported by the depth of the structure.

Seghesio 2007 Sonoma County Zinfandel. Seghesio makes several Zins (including an Old Vine Zin), but it’s always this one that over delivers. It generally makes the TOP 100 list for Wine Spectator every year. However, in 2008, it not only scored a big 93 points, but was also awarded the #10 wine of 2008! This is a big deal for any wine, and proves to be nothing less for Seghesio. This is a wine that normally retails for around $26/bottle. As soon as Wine Spectator released their TOP 100 list, this Zin started flying off the shelves. Expect to pay around $35/bottle in retail shops now (we currently stock this wine, and sell it for $42, including tax), if you can find it. Buy it up, and enjoy it. It’s moving fast and drinking fantastic. We also stock half bottles (2 glasses worth), and at only $22/bottle, you’ll get the chance to discover what it’s all about without committing to a whole bottle. “This Zinfandel offers smoky black cherry and blueberry aromas that lead to youthful wild berry, sage and cracked pepper flavors, with a lingering finish and zesty tannins.” Quote from Wine Spectator.

Zinfandel also makes the perfect partner for steaks. So break out the barbeque, and pop a cork of your favorite Zinfandel—it’s time to drink!

Cheers, and happy sipping!