WTN /Wine Advisor: Old-fashioned Zin

[Robin Garr]

Old-fashioned Zin

So many modern Zinfandels are ramped up with high-octane, almost liquorish intensity that they've come to seem more like a cocktail than an accompaniment with dinner for me.

It's just another chapter in the overall trend that I've discussed (and decried) many times before, a complex collection of events that range from warmer world temperatures that yield riper fruit with more sugars to be converted to alcohol, to a marketplace driven at least in part by critics who seem to prefer a beverage with a boozy whack to a subtle and elegant accompaniment to food.

The growing power and monolithic intensity of many modern wines is often criticized as a New World phenomenon, and certainly such treats as Napa Cabernets with 16 percent alcohol, Central Coast Pinot Noirs that taste like overripe Syrah, and Australian Shiraz that resembles blueberry milkshakes have a lot to answer for. But we're seeing similar trends in the Old World too, not only from such warm climates as Southern Italy and parts of Spain but even the French Rhone, Alsace and even, for heaven's sake, Burgundy.

But I've ranted this rant before, and that's enough of a reprise for today. Let's circle back to the subject du jour, Zinfandel, a wine that I loved in the 1980s but that has generally become so turbo-charged that I rarely enjoy it any more.

With a few glorious exceptions. Here and there across the map of California, a few old-style producers hold the stylistic line, making classically styled, "old-fashioned" Zins that take me back to the days when I bought the variety with pleasure.

Sure, alcohols have crept upward - a pattern of record warm seasons will do that. But when you're stuck with lemons, you make lemonade; and when you're stuck with ripe, sugar-laden grapes, you can still bring the wine-maker's art to bear and produce a wine that's both ripe and exuberant and elegant and graceful, that marry well with appropriate food and that don't prompt you to summon the bartender for a glass of water back.

Today's featured wine is from Pedroncelli in Sonoma, one of the many Italian families that broke the ground for California wine and that sticks to the old traditions.

Its 2005 Dry Creek Valley "Mother Clone" Zinfandel is a beauty. Yes, at a lusty 14.9 percent alcohol, it's a big boy. But its clean, fresh and exuberant expression of "bramble" berry fruit takes me back to Zin the way it used to be.

Pedroncelli 2005 Dry Creek Valley Sonoma County "Mother Clone" Zinfandel ($17)

Clear, very dark garnet, with reddish-violet glints against the light. Excellent Zinfandel aromas, blackberry and black raspberry, luscious and ripe but stops short of overly "jammy." Flavors follow the nose, juicy bramble fruit nicely shaped by crisp acidity and the body and warmth that attend 14.9% alcohol, on the potent side but well handled and balanced, carries all that alcohol well.

FOOD MATCH: Grilled meat will handle just about any good Zin, but we went in a Mediterranean direction, pairing it with a flavorful summer garden saute of ground lamb and fresh Italian eggplant, onions and green peppers and fresh Roma tomatoes over cavatappi pasta with a good sprinkle of Pecorino Romano cheese.

VALUE: Zin this good in the middle teens is a rare treat, and it's widely available for a few bucks under the $17 winery price. At its current $10.99 price in California Wine Club's online store, you might want to buy it by the case.
http://www.cawineclub.com/Pedroncelli-W ... PD364.html

WHEN TO DRINK: Wine lovers engage in neverending debate as to the merits of cellaring Zin. I love it while it's still full of youthful, exuberant fruit, so I think this one is drinking perfectly. But it would likely gain style and grace - at the possible cost of more subtle fruit - after a few years of careful cellaring.

WEB LINK:
Here's a link to the Pedroncelli Website:
http://www.pedroncelli.com/

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
As noted above, the Pedroncelli 2005 "Mother Clone" Zinfandel is currently available from California Wine Club's online store for $10.99 while it lasts.
http://www.cawineclub.com/Pedroncelli-W ... PD364.html

Find vendors and check prices for Pedroncelli Zinfandel on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Pedro ... g_site=WLP

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[David M. Bueker]

This is a wine that I used to find everywhere. It's no longer carried in my local (40 mile radius) area, and of course it's really not worth shipping. I used to buy and drink it, along with some of the other "old Italians" zinfandels. They were a great education.

Man, I remember drinking Pedroncelli back when I first got into wine. Haven't had it in many years. I'll have to look up a bottle or two based on your review, Robin.

[Robin Garr]

Man, I remember drinking Pedroncelli back when I first got into wine. Haven't had it in many years. I'll have to look up a bottle or two based on your review, Robin.

Note that this was the "Mother Clone," Mike. I assume the house style is consistently old-Italian Zin (with the alcohol rising, no way around that), but I can't offer recent tasting notes on other bottlings.

When I was recently in San Francisco I was lucky enough to have 2007 Zinfandel “L’Enfant Terrible” from Dashe Cellars. 13.8% abv. Absolutely delicious... not jammy, not over oaked. If I hadn't known what we ordered I would have thought 1) can't be a zin, can it?, and 2) certainly not from California! I think you would really like this, Robin.

When I was recently in San Francisco I was lucky enough to have 2007 Zinfandel “L’Enfant Terrible” from Dashe Cellars. 13.8% abv. Absolutely delicious... not jammy, not over oaked. If I hadn't known what we ordered I would have thought 1) can't be a zin, can it?, and 2) certainly not from California! I think you would really like this, Robin.

You dog!! L'Enfant Terrible is a wine geek legend in the making, Cyn. Here's the back story, courtesy of SFJoe:

I had the occasion to try a barrel sample of zinfandel today. A thrilling barrel sample of zinfandel. A barrel sample of zinfandel that still has me chuckling to myself a bit in pleasure.

It came out of a big barrel, which is doubtless one good thing to start. No evidence of the wood at all. Undeep color, fresh redfruity and fermentation aromas, still pretty primary and a little cloudy. Warm California fruit in a sensible and pleasing proportion on the midpalate, a little fresh prickle from remaining CO2, nice acid and light tannins on the fresh, pretty, clean finish.

This is a zinfandel that Thierry Puzelat would maybe have been proud to have made, and the methods were not so different--cool climate fruit (Potter Valley) grown organically and harvested at reasonable ripeness, natural yeast fermentation, no big extractive methods. Good ripe flavors, alcohol under 14% (and no trace of it), it's totally gluggable. I think Guilhaume would be glad to serve this wine, though it's on the clean side of median among the natural wines.

Mark Lipton

[David M. Bueker]

Just ordered 3 bottles of the L'Enfant Terrible! Thanks for the tips.

Just ordered 3 bottles of the L'Enfant Terrible! Thanks for the tips.

We had this twice at the Slanted Door over a week. One afternoon by the glass with some other things we were tasting, and then we ordered a bottle when we met some friends for lunch on another day later in the week. They apparently snapped up a huge part of the production because the sommelier there, Mark Ellenbogen, is close with Michael Dashe.

When I was recently in San Francisco I was lucky enough to have 2007 Zinfandel “L’Enfant Terrible” from Dashe Cellars

Placed an order for a 6 pack yesterday. It sure sounds yummy, Cynthia.