Wine Tasting: Zinfandel

 

This tasting confirms, yet again, that Zinfandel remains my favorite varietal. Thanks to all who came and helped me reaffirm my Zinfandel faith! And a special thanks to David Barzelay, who contributed a couple bottles from the 1990s to round out our sample! 

Zinfandel is perhaps the most iconic California wine (the grape is actually descended from a varietal in Croatia, and also closely related to the Italian Primitivo), Zin generally makes a jammy, fruit-forward, high alcohol wine. It's usually blended with a small proportion of other grapes, most frequently Petit Sirah, to give it some structure (but it needs to be at least 75% Zin to say Zinfandel on the bottle). Many of the best Zins are actually "field blends," which means the vineyards are interplanted with several varietals that are harvested and fermented together. 

Here's what we had, favorites in bold: 

1. 2017 Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel ($20): the first of my two reliable, benchmark $20 Zins that you can readily find. This edged out the #2 Bedrock by being a little lighter on its feet and finishing with a bit more snap. 
2. 2018 Bedrock "Old Vine" California Zinfandel ($20): another widely available favorite at ~$20 from a respected Zin producer, this came across a bit flabbier than the Seghesio, and also with a bit too much wood on it. Still very drinkable at the price, tho! 
3. 2018 Scherrer Old & Mature Vines Alexander Valley Zinfandel ($42): the price if you pay for it in futures is $25, which is why this is my "house red". A very light, jewel-like Zin, this is always good. 
4. 2018 Sandlands Lodi Zinfandel ($32): the first vintage of this from the private label of renowned Zin maker, Tegan Passalacqua (who is also the winemaker at Turley). This was similar to the Scherrer, but with a bit more oak. A lovely, lighter style Zin, but outclassed by the Scherrer at the futures price (their places would flip for me, if I had to pay full retail for the Scherrer, tho). 
5. 2019 Ridge Vineyards "Lytton Springs" Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ($43): a reliable benchmark (along with the similarly-priced Ridge "Geyserville" bottle) field blend from a premier name in Zin makers. This vintage is 73% Zinfandel; 16% Petite Sirah; 9% Carignane; 2% Mataro. Still too young, this is one to check in on in 10 years time, when I'm betting it will be fantastic. 
6. 1996 Ravenswood Big River Alexander Valley Zinfandel (?): the first of our three very old (by Zin standards) bottles. General consensus was that this was past its prime, but still a great lesson together with the other two in how these wines can age. 
7. 1998 Turley Old Vine California Zinfandel ($30): another famous name in prestige Zins, this was the consensus favorite of the evening, showing fantastic integration, but still showing fruit. So good. 
8. 2016 Storybook Mountain "Mayacamas Range" Napa Valley Zinfandel ($40): one of the few Zins from Napa Valley, I suspect this was a 100% Zinfandel (bat can't confirm that), making this wine a bit softer and less structured than the others. Lovely, but outclassed by the Ridge at a similar price. 
9. 1991 Nalle Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel (?): over 30 years old, I thought this showed well, but unrecognizable as Zin. Instead, if felt to me like a Rioja, all leather, cedar, and tobacco. The cork had seen better days, so this might have been more oxidized than an ideal sample, but still both fascinating and good!