WTN: Zin and Jumilla

I braved the horrible weather to attend a nice wine tasting event in Napa at Back Room Wines. Kudos to Dan and Ryan and all the producers for braving the monsoon (some areas have gotten 6 inches of rain-and Marin County is facing flooding evacuations )

My two favorites surprised me, as I attended the event looking for/expecting to like some other producers there more.

2005 Green and Red Chiles Mill Vineyard. The vineyard is east of Napa Valley proper, located at 1900 feet. While the wine does weigh in at 14.7% abv, there is no heat at all. Instead, we have a lovely medium bodied wine with plenty of bracing acidity, bright berry flavors, an earthy note, and a delicious blast of black pepper on the finish. I am not a big Zin drinker, but I loved this wine! Especially at $22! 17/20. Those looking for a lighter, more elegant, and food friendly style of Zin might check this wine out. (Their Syrah was a little too smooth-was it the oak?, but certainly drinkable, too. 13/20)

2003 Lamilla Jumilla (Red Wine Old Vine Monastrel) Made for an importer/negociant. In my attempt to learn more about Spanish wine, I was happy to see this on the agenda tonight. And, I enjoyed it quite a bit! Definitely the dark berry flavors that I experienced with the Juan Gill last year. Even though this was the hell year (2003), maybe the elevation helped this wine retain a bright acidity. Lots of earthy notes and smoke-not from the oak, either (old vines, they said). I just enjoyed the earthy smokey savory elements of this Spanish wine. $14-what a deal! Less fruit driven and less oak than the Juan Gill-I think this wine was just more interesting and more up my alley. Cool label, too. 16/20+ Yum.

[Jenise]

Red and Green! Not a producer name we hear much about, but for a time it was otherwise, and during that time I once ordered a bottle at Chez Panisse. Long time ago, but it resembled your description very much--it's what I wish more zins were. Thanks for reviving a memory.

The Green and Red zins used to be wines I that I specifically went hunting for back in the mid 1990s. I usually could not find them in the Maryland/DC area so bought most of them when traveling to other states. Unfortunately both the price and the alcohol levels continue to rise yearly. I have not seen $22 on the Chiles Mill in a long time. The last Chiles Mill I bought was the 2001 purchased in a store in North Carolina where I know prices are higher than I can get locally but I pick up stuff I can not get in the area. The price tag says I paid $36 but I can't believe I actually paid that price. I likely got it knocked down but still $30 for Green and Red is more than I am willing to pay these days.

You probably know this but Helen Turley made the wine at Green and Red for a while. I don't recall the years but I think she stopped sometime in the early 1990s (1994?). Maybe its just bad memory on my part but I don't recall the alcohol levels over 14% back then. If so I find it ironic that the alcohol levels on the Green and Reds seem to increase after the Turley days since she gets so much press for the high alcohol levels.

Sadly, Brian, 14.7% is "low" in alcohol for a modern California Zin I am often sensitive to alcohol, but some wines hide it better than others.

Sadly, Brian, 14.7% is "low" in alcohol for a modern California Zin I am often sensitive to alcohol, but some wines hide it better than others.

I agree. I have also stated here prior that high alcohol alone is not a reason to assume that the wine is out of balance. It is the price creep more than the alcohol increase that turned me off of Green and Red. It is just not the bargain that it once was so when you add in the fact that I usually have to carry it back from out of state it is really not worth the effort.

However, I have also learned that with few exceptions I really don't like the higher alcohol Zins. You are familiar with the Dutch Henry wines and I think they generally carry off higher alcohol levels fairly well. However, back in the 2000 vintage they bottled a couple of different zins and it was the lowest alcohol level one at 13.7 that I really liked the best. This was the final confirmation that I needed in what I had noticed over a number of years related to Zin preferences. For my taste, Zin seems to loose some of that weedy/briar quality that I associate with the wine when you pick it at very ripe levels. Granted some turn out very nice but generally, I think you end up with a wine does not present the qualities of Zin but not as good as what one could make from other grapes so then one has to ask why bother.

For my taste, Zin seems to loose some of that weedy/briar quality that I associate with the wine when you pick it at very ripe levels.

Or it gets run over by the other flavors, raisins in particular.

Zin is notorious for uneven ripening of clusters, and I think that for the grapes to reach that level of ripeness some of them go to raisins. In any case, I frequently find that in Zins with really cranked-up alcohol it's not the heat that bothers me but the raisins on the palate drown out all the other flavors.

Or it gets run over by the other flavors, raisins in particular.

Zin is notorious for uneven ripening of clusters, and I think that for the grapes to reach that level of ripeness some of them go to raisins. In any case, I frequently find that in Zins with really cranked-up alcohol it's not the heat that bothers me but the raisins on the palate drown out all the other flavors.

I agree. I actively dislike the big, syrupy, raisiny Zins which seem so popular today. I know there is no "right" answer in wine tasting, and I know people do like them, but....not for me.

What is weird is a Zin I had recently-at Ravenswood (Todd Vineyard), that was monstrous in alcohol (16.1%) but had very little raisiny character (high acid and black pepper)

I overheard some guy at a local wine shop musing that he had spent the day volunteering recently at the ZAP event (for zins) and he noted lots of enthusiasm and lots of very bad wines.

[quote="Brian K Miller"]
I agree. I actively dislike the big, syrupy, raisiny Zins which seem so popular today. I know there is no "right" answer in wine tasting, and I know people do like them, but....not for me. [quote]

Same here. So just wondering...what are your favorites? I'm always looking for good new Zins to try, and unfortunately my experience with Zin recommendations from my local merchants is...umm...well, they seem to have a different understanding of "complexity" than I do.

Hmmm. Not a big Zin drinker, and some of these may still be too big for you, but...

I've recently tried a Zin from Elizabeth Spencer that's nice in moderate, even lighter mouthfeel, with bright berry fruit and quite restrained jammyness.

Frank Family, while in a much bigger style, still retains some balance.

I was quite impressed also with some of the Eaglepointe Ranch ZIns and Zin Blends from Mendocino County. Their own wines-the Elyse Zinfandel from Eaglepointe I tried recently was really quite syrupy and grapey.

The house style at Noah in Yountville is VERY lean, almost tart, in style. It's certainly different than most Cali Zins I've had!

These are pretty obscure-I tend to like smaller wineries. I know Elizabeth Spenser does ship-not familiar with Louisiana shipping laws, though.

For my taste, Zin seems to loose some of that weedy/briar quality that I associate with the wine when you pick it at very ripe levels.

Or it gets run over by the other flavors, raisins in particular.

Zin is notorious for uneven ripening of clusters, and I think that for the grapes to reach that level of ripeness some of them go to raisins. In any case, I frequently find that in Zins with really cranked-up alcohol it's not the heat that bothers me but the raisins on the palate drown out all the other flavors.

I opened the 2002 Martinelli Jackass Vineyard last night and it fits everything you wrote. While it clocks in at 16.3%, its not the heat that really bothers me. I would not even call it hot but it is huge. One can clearly taste the raisins. The funny part to me was that this was the first wine that was made in the ultra ripe style that I could still tell it was Zinfandel due to the weedy/briar quality that I have found normally gets lost.

My wife who likes her wines bigger and has a preference for Zinfandel that I don't share called it cough syrup and refused to drink it. I nursed a single glass over 4 hours to see what happened with time but unfortunately nothing good to report there either.

Here's another obscure one for you (I posted a separate tasting note, but) 2002 Sky Vineyards Zinfandel. About as far from what the Martinelli sounds like as you can get and still call it Zinfandel! And-this is their CURRENT release. From Mount Veeder way up above 1500 feet -very lean and 13.8% alcohol (something like that). Short finish, though.