Napa Blend Uses Malbec To Tame Cab

The people at Hess say the lion on their label represents the winery and its founder, Donald Hess.  With estates in Argentina and South Africa as well as Napa Valley, this winery really gets around.  Hess staked out a claim on Napa's Mount Veeder in the 1970s, when there was still room to move around.  He retired in 2011 and passed the torch to the 5th generation of the family to carry on old traditions and forge new ones.  Dave Guffy is only the second person to lead the winemaking team at Hess.

Hess Collection Lion Tamer Napa Valley Red Wine 2016

Guffy uses their Malbec to "tame" the powerful tannins of their Cabernet Suavignon.  Lion Tamer contains 40% Malbec grapes, 27% Zinfandel, 21% Petite Sirah, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Mourvèdre and a splash each of Petit Verdot and Merlot.  The wine was aged 22 months in French oak, 40% of the barrels new.  Alcohol peaks at 14.8% abv and it retails for $45.

Guffy explains that the weather for the 2016 vintage was nearly perfect, not too unusual for California grapes.  While consumers go on and on about the taste of a wine, grape people go on and on about how those grapes got here.  "Winter gave us our average amount of rainfall followed by a warm spring that allowed most varieties to set a nice crop," says Guffy.  "August cooled things off and allowed some increase in hang time, and we didn't see any major heat spikes during September and October.  Yields were above average for most."  He hailed the crops for giving fruit of excellent quality.

This dark ruby wine's nose shows bright red cherry and plum, black pepper and a hint of vanilla.  The palate features big fruit, mocha and a nice savory tobacco edge.  Great tannins and acidity make it a wonderful wine to pair with beef.  The oak treatment is beneficial, not overdone.  The wine finishes strong with fruity earth notes.


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Amador County Zinfandel

Bella Grace Vineyards is located in the Sierra Foothills region of Amador County.  Run by Michael and Charlie Havill, their vineyard sits on 20 acres in those granitic rolling hills.  The winery says Michael is "one of the few elite female winemakers in California," while husband Charlie is credited with being the mastermind behind the vines.  The winery was named for their two grandmothers.

The Havills grow Primitivo, Zinfandel, Grenache, Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Mourvedre, sustainably without pesticides, as well as three types of olives.  Nearly seven acres of the estate are devoted to four different clones of Zinfandel grapes.  This one is not an estate wine, but the 100% Zinfandel grapes all hail from Amador County.  It rings the alcohol bell at 14.2% abv.  It's a Double Gold winner in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The 2016 Bella Grace Zinfandel is dark garnet in color and smells of blackberry, plum, slight cranberry and a healthy dose of bramble, with a layer of sweetness as counterpoint.  On the palate, deeper dark fruit and raspberry comes across in a rustic fashion with a zing of oak.  The wine drinks smoothly, with fine tannins and a medium mouthfeel.  Earthy, dark fruit lingers on the finish.

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Wine In Cans, Right Now

Canned wine, I'm told, is the fastest growing trend in the wine industry.  No longer a fad or gimmick - well, maybe it's still a gimmick - wine in cans is a 45 million dollar business.  U.S. sales of canned wines jumped by 43% in the year leading up to June 2018.  Stupendous Cellars' David Weitzenhoffer told Forbes that the market for wine in cans has been doubling every year, and he expects it to more than double this year.  He calls cans "the greatest democratization of wine in our lifetime."  Who's buying it?  Those millennials, I guess, with all their white-water rafting and Himalaya climbing.  They need a wine that's portable as well as potable.

If one can get past the packaging, cans really are a pretty good idea.  No open bottles because it's a single serving.  Fully recyclable along with all your other aluminum cans.  No fuss no muss getting those darn corkscrews to work right.  This is starting to read like one of those cable commercials where the person gets all flustered trying to do a simple, easy thing, then breathes a gigantic sigh of relief when the product appears that makes everything simpler and easier.

Right Now wines are sold in cans, fairly classy looking ones at that, and contain wine that's actually pretty good.  None of the four I sampled were big thinkers, but they tasted fun, and when you need wine while skiing down a black diamond run you don’t want that darn glass getting in the way.

Winemaker and Master of Wine Olga Crawford did a good job with the Right Now collection of red, white, rosé and shimmer.  They taste good, have a nice level of acidity and pair well the sort of fun food one finds at a barbecue or a tailgate party.  They sell for $24 for a four-pack

Alpine Stream White is made up of 85% Pinot Gris, 10% Viognier, 3% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Vermentino.  Alcohol lays low at 12.5% abv.  The pale gold wine has mineral driven stone fruit, nice refreshing acidity.  It's a bit earthy on the palate, which I like.

Shimmer Lightly Sweet Rosé is carbonated pink wine at 13% abv.  Zinfandel grapes account for 40% while Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot make up most of the rest.  Nine percent are written off as assorted varieties.  It has quite an interesting look in the glass, dark pink-orange, and offers a nose of slightly candied cherry and strawberry.  It tastes really sweet, Jolly Rancher cherry, with light bubbles for fun and a nice acidity for pairing.

Dry Rosé has California on the can and alcohol hits easy at 12.5%.  The grapes are 35% Zinfandel, 32.8% Syrah, 30.2% Barbera and a 0.4% dollop of Merlot.  This wine shows a nice salmon color, with a muted nose of cherry  It's earthy, tasty, not too complex and has a wonderful acidity.

Red Number 8 is labeled as California, but contains a 63% share of Lodi Zinfandel, along with Petit Verdot, Merlot and Petite Sirah.  Alcohol sits at 13.5%.  It’s very dark, with an earthy nose of brambly black berries.  The tannins are good, the acidity is great and the fruit is dark  A bit of a short finish, but it's the best of the bunch.


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Cabernet Franc From Sierra Foothills

The town of Murphys, where Ironstone Vineyards is located, lies in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range halfway across the state from San Francisco and farther east than Lodi.  The Kautz Family is a fourth generation of winegrowers and makers, and their company shows the full involvement.  The place is brimming with Kautzes: John, Gail, Stephen, Kurt, Joan and Jack all have jobs at the winery.

The 2016 Ironstone Reserve Cabernet Franc is composed of 85% Cabernet Franc grapes, 8% Petite Sirah, 4% Zinfandel and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.  They were grown in the estate's Hay Station Ranch Vineyard, some 2,400 feet up in the Sierra Foothills.  The soils range from decomposed granite to volcanic sediment to red clay.  Fermentation was extended and aging took place over 24 months in small barrels made of oak, both French and American.  Nearly two thousand cases were made and the alcohol sits at 14.5% abv, customary for a California red.  It retails for $25 and is a steal at that price.

Ironstone is marketed by Quintessential Wines in Napa Valley.

This wine is very dark, practically black, in fact.  The nose is complex, offering smoky blueberries along with cigar tobacco, vanilla and an herbal note which is very faint.  On the palate is primarily black fruit, with a cherry aspect that sweetens the flavor.  Oak is noticeable, but it isn't a distraction.  The tannins are quite firm and the acidity is juicy.  The finish is lengthy and laden with smoke.  Very tasty.  Pair it with any type of meat dish or even with a cheese plate, especially blue cheeses.


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Dry Creek Valley Zin Via Kokomo

Winemaker Erik Miller moved from Indiana early this century to satisfy his wine itch.  He picked a good spot, Sonoma County, although as owner of Kokomo Wines, he also sources grapes from other growers in Dry Creek Valley and other areas of the county.

Named after Miller's Indiana hometown, Kokomo was established in 2004 on Dry Creek Valley's east side. His grower-partner Randy Peters is a fourth-generation farmer who raises grapes in Sonoma's Dry Creek , Russian River and Alexander valleys.

The winery is located in Timber Crest Farms, where Zinfandel has been growing for 150 years.  Miller uses the cuttings from those plants to start new vines. His winemaking philosophy involves letting the grapes speak for themselves, up to a point.  Miller strives for firm tannins, but not to overpower.  He wants vibrant and expressive aromas and flavors, but without overuse of oak.

The 2016 Kokomo Zinfandel from Pauline's Vineyard is made from grapes grown across the street from the winery.  The vines are of a clone that was planted on the property in the 1800s by Peters' grandfather. The wine was aged for eleven months in half French and half other European oak, about a third of which was new.  Alcohol hits a predictably high 15.5% abv and it retails for $36.

This deep, rich Zin lets no light through the glass and offers a nose just as opaque.  Dark currant, blackberry, raspberry and licorice dominate the generous aromas, with a healthy dose of allspice, sage, mint and cinnamon.  The palate is delicious, showing dark berries, strawberry, holiday spice and a note of black pepper which lingers on the finish.  The oak treatment, although restrained, may be just a tad too much for me, but California’s heritage grape gets a fine treatment here.


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Wine Aged In Bourbon Barrels - Exitus

Bourbon is hot right now.  Meininger's reports that bourbon sales have tripled in the past two decades, and most of that growth has been in the premium and super-premium areas, the "can’t afford it" shelf.  Robert Joseph writes in the article about what he calls the bourbonization of wine, red wines aged in whiskey barrels that started hitting the store shelves about four years back.  It started as a boutique move, but now all the big producers are selling a wine that's been aged in whiskey barrels.

Bourbonized wine is usually high in alcohol - 15% or so - and marked by the rich caramel notes found in bourbon.  But some wine know-it-alls say, if you want bourbon, why don’t you just drink bourbon?  It could be that a new market segment is getting attention here, people who really like the effect of bourbon but can't, or don't want to, tolerate an 80-proof beverage.

I don't know why a wine company would name their product after the inevitable end of a terminal disease, but here we are: Exitus.  The say their bourbon-barrel aged juice is an "answer to the monotony of boring, forgettable wines," crafted for the "adventurous drinker."  They're right.

Exitus is made from a blend of Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Merlot grapes which are vinified in stainless steel, then aged three months in bourbon barrels. It's really a wonderful idea, because there are those among us who believe three months of oak aging is plenty.  This wine hits high in alcohol, at 15.9% abv, and hails from Parlier, in California's Fresno County.  Fresno is in the heart of the Central Valley and is more known for raisins than wine grapes.

This red blend smells not too heavily of the Kentucky Bourbon barrels that are billed as the difference-maker.  The aroma is there, but ripe, deep red fruit claims center stage.  The aromatic notes of leather, vanilla, caramel and chocolate are noticeable, but they play supporting roles.  On the palate, there's a hint of bourbon, but it's not overplayed at all.  The wine is big - let’s not undersell it, it's huge - but it's a fun drink if you're into that trip.


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Old-Style Zin From Dry Creek Valley

Field blend wines are those for which various different grape varieties are grown and harvested together, then cofermented.  19th century winemakers found it advantageous to blend the wine in the field, rather than use separate barrels for each grape variety.  Today's methods are more expensive, but more flexible   Everyone likes a little nostalgia, though - that's why Throwback Thursday originated. 

In Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley's grape history dates back to California's Gold Rush days. The valley is 16 miles long, two miles wide, and sustains 9,000 acres of vineyards.  Many of those old vines are still around today.  Talty Winery's vineyard was planted in 1963, but it was done in field blend style, as in the even older days.

Located in Healdsburg, Talty is a small production winery which produces around 1,300 cases of handcrafted Zinfandels.  Michael Talty's father William loved the Dry Creek Valley and wanted to start a winery there, a dream that was never realized.  Michael saw to it and named the six-acre estate in his honor.  The vines are head-pruned and dry-farmed in the heart of  "Zinfandel Country."  The Talty wines - all Zins - are aged a year in oak and a year in the bottle. 

The 2014 Talty Estate Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley is a field blend of 90% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah and 3% Carignane.  The grapes are harvested and vinified as a blend, just like the wine pioneers of California did it.  787 cases were made, the wine hits 14.5% abv and it sells for $42, which is about where all the Talty wines fall.

The nose shows black cherries and currants surrounded by cedar, cinnamon and white pepper.  Flavor is plentiful, with those cherries again, bolstered by ripe cranberries and blackberries.  There's a leathery, sagebrush note that screams about the old west.  The rusticity plays well with the overriding elegance of the sip, and it all melts into a long, savory finish.


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Expect Great Zin At Rancho Mirage Wine, Food Fest

There's a great wine event coming this weekend for residents of California's desert communities and all of Southern California.  The Rancho Mirage Wine and Food Festival is this Saturday, February 17th 2018.  The organizers have kindly invited me to be an ambassador of what looks to be a fantastic event.  More than 200 handcrafted wines will be poured and you'll sample cuisine from 15 of the area's top chefs.  The event is put on by David Fraschetti, a full time resident of Rancho Mirage and the creator of the VinDiego Wine and Food Festival held in San Diego each April.

You can find the event and follow the #RMWineFest2018 on Twitter: @rmwineandfoodfest.  For a discount, use the Now And Zin Wine promo code: NZWine.

Tickets to the Rancho Mirage Wine and Food Festival start at $70 and are available on the fest's website.  The all-inclusive General Admission and VIP ticket includes a crystal souvenir wine glass and unlimited tastings of the wines, a variety of gourmet appetizers, cheeses, artisan breads and olive oils.  Early Entry VIP tickets allow attendees to arrive one hour earlier than General Admission.  You must be 21 to attend.

Barlow Vineyards is one of the wineries that will be attending, and I can't wait to sample the rest of their line.  Their Zinfandel is a knockout.  Located in Napa Valley’s Calistoga area, Barlow Vineyards was purchased by Warren Barlow Smith in 1994 and it's a family affair still today.  They were farmers initially, selling the fruit of their labor.  They began selling the vinified fruit of their vines at the urging of a previous winemaker.

They made fewer than a hundred cases of this wine and it retails for $35.

The Barlow Calistoga Unfiltered Zinfandel 2012 is a real crowd pleaser, very dark and aromatic.  A blackberry and licorice nose gets a savory whiff of smoke and a shot of vanilla on the side.  It's had some time in the bottle and it’s getting very smooth and silky as it ages.  On the palate, good, dark fruit stands a little on the tart raspberry side.  The oak influence shows in a touch of spice and vanilla, but it doesn't overwhelm.  The acidity is nice, and the tannins are good.  This can pair with a pork chop, but it's a great sipper, too.


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A Zinfandel Fail

Reid Klei is the winemaker for the new Motto wines, owned by Ste. Michele Wine Estates.  He makes wines that carry the "California" appellation, a ridiculously large and over-reaching tag.  It could mean that the grapes came from more than one great appellation, but more often it means that several lesser appellations are being disguised.

The 2015 Motto Unabashed Zinfandel is made from grapes grown in "vineyards across California"s sun drenched valleys," as their website states.  In fact, this wine tastes like the grapes were grown in a cool climate, as tartness is the word.  It's mostly Zin, with some Cabernet Sauvignon thrown in for good measure.  Alcohol stands at 13.9% abv and it sells for $15.

This wine is medium-dark ruby and smells of cherry and smoky oak spice.  There's a lot of oak spice here, and it follows the same way on the palate.  The fruit is in the forefront, but it seems that it doesn't want to stay there.  Or someone, should I say, didn't want it to stay there.  It's a bit tart, which is unusual for a Zinfandel.  Even so, the effect of the oak aging takes this wine in its grip and delivers a chokehold.  The fruit, however good or bad it may be, is masked by a massive cedar plank note and a rack of spices that don't really seem to fit.

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Old Vine Zinfandel: Like A Holiday Blackberry Fire

Old vines are appreciated the most in Zinfandel vineyards.  California's heritage grape has been growing nonstop in Lodi for more than a century, and the older the vines are, the more character the wine has.  I don’t know about people who stay away from Zinfandel, I don't trust them.  Once you’ve had an old vine Zin, how could you ever go back to Merlot?

A recent virtual tasting of old vine Zinfandel wines from the Lodi region featured three people who are delightfully nerdy (watch) and incredibly passionate about their Zinfandel.  The online session was held on National Zinfandel Day and led by Stuart Spencer, of St. Amant Winery and the Lodi Winegrape Association.  He was joined by Kevin Phillips, of Michael-David Vineyards and Kyle Lerner, Harney Lane Winery.  They focus on Zinfandel with a love not just of the grapes and the wine, but of the character and history of the vineyards and those who planted them so long ago.

The Rous Vineyard dates back more than a century, to 1909.  The ten-acre plot in the Mokelumne River appellation is the source for Ironstone Vineyards' Reserve Old Vine Zinfandel.  Craig Rous bought the vineyard in 1994, when it was contracted to provide grapes for White Zinfandel production.  Thank you, white Zin, for possibly saving this vineyard's ancient vines, preventing them from being ripped out and replaced by some other variety.

This wine is 100% Zinfandel at 15% abv, so you know it’s there.  It aged for ten months in small French oak barrels and I see it selling for around 20 bucks.

This deep ruby wine smells like a blackberry fire, all dark fruit, spice and smoke.  There's a cinnamon aroma that should prove irresistible over the holidays.  The flavors made me sit down the glass and say, "my god, that tastes good."  That doesn't happen often enough.  Black cherry, sage, eucalyptus, cola, coffee grounds - its complex and savory.  Oak is very present, but not a pest.  The tannic structure doesn't go unnoticed, but stays pleasant enough for sipping.  Pair it with pulled pork or a ham sandwich.

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Earthshaking Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel

Old vines are appreciated the most in Zinfandel vineyards. California's heritage grape has been growing nonstop in Lodi for more than a century, and the older the vines are, the more character the wine has. I don’t know about people who stay away from Zinfandel, I don’t trust them. Once you've had an old vine Zin, how could you ever go back to Merlot?

A recent virtual tasting of old vine Zinfandel wines from the Lodi region featured three people who are delightfully nerdy (watch) and incredibly passionate about their Zinfandel. The online session was held on National Zinfandel Day and led by Stuart Spencer, of St. Amant Winery and the Lodi Winegrape Association. He was joined by Kevin Phillips, of Michael-David Vineyards and Kyle Lerner, Harney Lane Winery. They focus on Zinfandel with a love not just of the grapes and the wine, but of the character and history of the vineyards and those who planted them so long ago.

The historical angle is right up front in this wine. The vines for Michael-David's Earthquake Zinfandel were planted about the time of the Great Earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco. The winemaker calls this beautiful Zinfandel "intentionally hostile, purposefully bold," so you'd better grab hold of something and hang on.

The grapes are actually mostly Zinfandel with a touch of Petite Sirah. It spent 14 months in oak and shows every second of it beautifully. The wine carries a big alcohol number, as Zinfandel sometimes does, up at 15.5% abv  and sells for about 26 bucks.

This wine is completely dark, in color, aromas and taste. On the nose, loads of big, black, burly, brambly fruit, with a healthy dollop of smoky sage and what I can only call burnt cinnamon. The palate offers brawn and blackberries paving a roadway for licorice and spice. Pair it with anything off the grill, especially tri-tip or rib eye.

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A Good Zinfandel Is A Smoke

To paraphrase the end of a famous quote, "a good Cigar is a Zinfandel." The name for this Cosentino wine was taken from Winston Churchill's witticism promoting cigars and booze before, during and after meals. The winery's Napa Valley location should not warn you away from their longtime reliance on Lodi grapes.

he 2015 Cigar Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel has a big ol' California alcohol number at 15.5% abv and retails for $22. Winemaker Marty Peterson was wise to limit the oak aging to only eight months. It's just right.

Cigar is an extremely dark wine, marked by blackberry and blueberry fruit on the nose and palate. The aromas strike me as being a little muted at first, especially for a Zin. Some savory smoke and tar aromas open up as the wine does. As telegraphed by the name, the smell of cigar box also works into the profile. The flavors are dominated by bold fruit, but a touch of oak spice and black pepper wraps that up in a pretty bow. Tannins are firm and useful, if you happen to have a pork chop or a lamb shank laying around.

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Pink Zinfandel

From the vaults, a few years back.

Paso Robles Wine: AronHill Vineyards

A quick stop at AronHill Vineyards, along 46 West outside Paso Robles, produced these fast tasting notes. All the non-estate grapes used come from Paso's westside as well.

2015 Estate Primrose - A new release, Primitivo rosé. The nose is floral and cherry-laced, with nice acid, good tartness and red fruit on the palate.  $28

2010 Estate Primitivo - From the AronHill library collection. There’s pepper and raspberry on the nose, with great acidity, tannins and flavors of smoky dried plums and boysenberry.  $40

2012 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - Cherry vanilla aromas, earthy cherry flavors with a minty note $40

Berrichon - BDX blend. 40% Estate Cabernet with 30% Merlot, 20% Malbec, 10% Petite Verdot.  It smells and tastes of bright, earthy cherry and has a eucalyptus note.  $48

Kickass Britchen Red - Estate Primitivo, Zinfandel and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose has a light cherry-and-orange zest angle, while the palate is a zippy cherry-raspberry experience with an herbal note.  $32


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Enough Oak To Build A Warehouse

This a tough wine about which to write, because it is designed from the ground up for a completely different consumer than myself. It's off-dry - not my thing - and oaked within an inch of its very existence. It's pleasing somebody, though. I was taken aback by the numerous four- and five-star reviews online for Apothic Red. It's supermarket-priced at right around ten bucks.

The name is inspired by the Greek word, apotheca, which is defined as a repository or storeroom where wine was kept. I've seen wines named after natural beauty, mythological creatures and spaceships in France, I've never before seen one named after a warehouse.

It's very dark in the glass, black almost. A purple ring around the edge is the only thing differentiating the color from, say, motor oil. The nose is amazingly oaky. Fire, smoke, burning things - all these traits come across with the fervor of a four-alarm blaze. Those grapes are there - Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon - but it's like "Where’s Waldo" to find them. Sweet oak is what you taste. And put the emphasis on sweet. This is one of those wines made exclusively for millennials who just got rid of the training wheels last week, so pardon me if I don't seem too enthusiastic. The oak isn't supposed to be the whole show in a wine.


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Drink Pink: LBD Rosé Blends Red, White Grapes

This is an unusual rosé blend, in that it is made up largely of white wine grapes. The mix is 54% Gewürztraminer, 23% Muscat, 14% Chardonnay, 5% Zinfandel and 4% other white varieties. For every time I have had a beginning wine lover ask me, "So, rosé is just red and white wine mixed together, right?" I wish I had a sip of this one, which really is one of those imagined pinkies.

The Little Black Dress folks like to say, "Confidence turns heads and sophistication is the rule," when talking about their wines. They are confident, and with good reason. Even without a fancy, single-vineyard label - actually, with only "California" to describe the wine’s origin - they manage to put a really distinctive wine in the bottle. They did it with the Chardonnay, and damned if they didn't do it with the rosé as well. Winemaker Margaret Leonardi makes good juice for this Mendocino winery.

The LBD Rosé shows only a faint salmon-pink hue in the glass. The nose is defined by the Gewürztraminer, all flowery and springlike. There's a cherry/strawberry note from the Zinfandel and a bit of apricot from the Muscat, so it's really a complex rosé bouquet. On the palate the Zin hardly shows up at all, giving way to the fancy, floral white grapes with whom it is no doubt unaccustomed to working. It's off-dry, maybe even medium, but it is no White Zin - if that has you worried. The Gewürztraminer carries the flavor profile, too.

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One Wine Worth 1000 Stories

There seems to be one story in particular that stands behind 1000 Stories Wines.  It’s the story of America's heritage, what the company’s website calls "a heritage woven with one thousand stories, unique traditions, and a pioneering spirit."  The buffalo is the iconic imagery here, and Zinfandel is what’s in the bottle. Talk about heritage. Talk about pioneers.

The small batch Zinfandels are aged partially in charred bourbon barrels, which seems to be the new way of making the old way new. As far as heritage goes, pioneering winemaker Bob Blue says when he started out in the business he found it expedient and more cost-effective to buy old bourbon barrels instead of new oak containers.  Some of the barrels used to age this wine formerly housed bourbon for more than a dozen years.

The grapes in Batch 11, the 2014 blend I was given to sample, come from Mendocino, Dry Creek Valley, Lodi, Contra Costa and Colusa counties. It’s mainly Zinfandel, with some Mendocino Petite Sirah rounding it out. The wine stands at 15.5% abv and sells for under 20 bucks.

The 1000 Stories Zinfandel is very dark looking and smelling. And tasting, too. Plum and blackberry flavors get a savory working over from the bourbon barrels, but not as much as I had feared. Or hoped. I don't know which way to lean on this kind of oak influence. On the one hand, too much oak is bad. On the other, too much bourbon oak might be just enough. The savory streak plays through on the palate with a hint of that bourbon-laced oak pushing it along. There’s vanilla, pepper and leathery cherry as well.


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Folly Indeed: Edmeades' Wacky Blend Works

Edmeades is a Mendocino County mainstay since the 1960s, with grapes grown in the region’s rugged coastal mountains. The Jackson Family bought the acreage in 1988 and brought current winemaker Ben Salazar into the fold in 2012.

Edmeades' Folly 2013 

When Dr. Edmeades planted his first vineyards in Mendocino County's Anderson Valley in 1963, he was met with so much derision the plot was known as "Edmeades' Folly." In true California winemaking fashion, he made a sign saying as much and hung it in the vineyard. This wine harkens back to those days, with much less naysaying now. It’s a playful blend of 47% Zinfandel, 23% Syrah, 15% Merlot and 15% Petite Sirah. Mostly neutral oak is use in aging and alcohol hits a ripe 15% abv. It retails for $26.

Folly, indeed. This brash blend has a campfire burning n the nose, with cigar, leather, a little funk and some hefty black pepper, clove and anise joining the olfactory party. On the palate, the medium-dark wine shows a brambly sage note and spills black and blue fruit flavors all over the table. The way Syrah, Merlot and PS played around in the aroma department, so does the Zinfandel on the flavor profile.

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Wine Country Oregon: Troon Zinfandel

You may have noticed, like I did, that Craig Camp has moved. The longtime partner in Napa Valley’s Cornerstone Wines is pursuing his "vision of winemaking" in the Applegate Valley of southern Oregon at Troon Vineyard. He wholeheartedly touts Troon’s "natural wines from this unique terroir."

Camp reports that the Troon property was planted in 1972 by Dick Troon, so the roots go deep. He also says that winemaker Steve Hall was a recent hire - two years ago - and that the team is looking ahead with vision. Camp knows a thing or two about terroir, and he wastes no time in lauding Troon’s "high-altitude, granitic soils" of their "benchland vineyards high above the Applegate River."

Camp compares this Oregon Zinfandel to a Côtes du Rhône for its value and simple pleasures. He says, "One of the great failures of the American wine industry is that most wines under $20 are boring industrial wines." He feels European wines offer better value for the price.

He calls Troon's Red Label Zinfandel, Applegate Valley 2014 "Zesty and full of brambly zinfandel fruit," and says it "is quite distinct from most California versions. Burgers, pizza and sausages are just waiting for this zinfandel." And at $18, it stays under the $20 barrier. Winemaker Hall says there is a tiny dollop of Carignane in the mix and, once co-fermented, they aged in French oak for nine months. Just over 500 cases were made.

Vineyard image from Troon

As a big fan of Zinfandel, typically a California grape, I was excited to try the Oregon version. It strikes me as a little tamer, a little less rowdy, but just as fruity and spicy as the Golden State variety. It’s a dark ruby wine purpling at the rim and smelling of black cherry and raspberry, with a memory of holiday pies cooking. A touch of nutmeg and cinnamon is always a welcome aroma. The wine sits well in the mouth, full and rich and not too tannic. Fruit forward but not simplistic, it shows an almost Cab-like elegance but carries a playful palate at its heart. The spices really come out in the flavor profile with a mineral-laced earth note that I imagine to be the expression of the cooler climate, as well as the dirt. There's a lot of "black" in here, but it's lightened by a touch of "red."


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Petite Sirah: Dark Mendocino Nights

Edmeades is a Mendocino County mainstay since the sixties, with grapes grown in the region's rugged coastal mountains. The Jackson Family bought the acreage in 1988 and brought current winemaker Ben Salazar into the fold in 2012.

Edmeades Petite Sirah 2013

They say on the website that this wine is as "dark as a moonless night."  It is, in fact, a deep indigo with dark purple showing around the edge of the glass. The winery folks explain that the wine is made only when the grapes are right, in select vintages. 2013 was, apparently, such a year.

This dark wine smells delicious, with dark fruit challenged by oak spice, cedar and vanilla being the most prominent. The nose is complex, with notes of licorice, cigar box, cinnamon and blackberry coming forth. Tobacco and a chocolaty mocha abet those flavors on the palate. It’s 93% Petite Sirah and 7% Zinfandel, with mostly neutral oak use in the aging. Alcohol hits 14.5% abv and only 250 cases were made. It retails for $35.


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