The Wines of September, 2020

Let's talk about Zinfandel. It has been traced to a grape named Crljenak Kaštelanski, in the European area of Slovakia. It is also the same as the Italian Primitivo. 

Mostly, the great zinfandels come from the US of A, mostly in California. Long used in jug wines, it has finally made a name as a stand-alone wine. Zinfandel is grown across the continental United States, although California grows the largest proportion. U.S. producers make wine in styles that range from late harvest dessert wines, rosés (White Zinfandel) and Beaujolais-style light reds to big hearty reds and fortified wine in the style of port. 

The grape grows in clusters of large purple berries, causing some problem when harvesting. The green fruit can cause bitterness, so it is called hens and chicks - where harvesters leave the green chicks and try to get the ripe grapes. Much of the heartiness of the wine depends on the soil and climate where they are grown. In California, Zinfandel now falls behind Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in the number of acres planted - still ahead of Merlot. 

Now for the wines of September:

2017 Buena Vista The Count Red, Sonoma County, Ca

88 pts Wine Enthusiast

This blend is driven by 45% Zinfandel, with 26% Merlot and 10% Syrah in addition to smaller additions of other red grapes. Baking spice, herb and soft, rich round fruit defines it, making for a robust, hyper-ripe experience of opulence.

Wine Review: This ruby colored kitchen sink blend from Buena Vista opens with cherry and pomegranate bouquet with a hint of cranberry. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and juicy. The flavor profile is a strawberry and rhubarb blend with notes of cranberry. I also detected hints of tart plum and cinnamon. The finish is dry and its acidity, moderate tannins and flavors show nice length. This wine would pair well with pork tenderloin. Enjoy – Ken

Winemaker Notes: The Count seduces the palate with enticing aromas of mocha, baking spices and blackberry. Dark fruit flavors coat the palate with notes of Baker's chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla. This is a well-balanced wine is structured and has good acidity. It has a savory and lingering finish.

Very nice bottle of wine, good spicy nose with a palate of dark fruits and spice. Moderate finish – always a good drinking wine that has the stuff to go with a multitude of meals. Only priced around $20, very nice for the price

2017 Handcraft Malbec, California

2017 Handcraft Malbec, California

The HandCraft Malbec is hand harvested also in cool temperatures and taken immediately to the winery to small lot fermenters.  After a brief cold soak they are gently warmed to enhance the color and flavor extraction.  Once the fermentation is complete the Malbec is aged in French and American oak to soften the tannins.  A touch of Zinfandel is added for complexity and a hint of spice.

A decent school-night wine, the flavors are mostly red fruit with a little acid to match a meal. Pretty good for a $10 bottle.

2018 Chateau de L’Aubrade Entre-duex-mers, Bordeaux Blanc,  France

Located in the Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux, this 175-acre property has been in the hands of  the Lobre family for three generations. It is today run by Jean-Christophe and Andrea Lobre, with the assistance of their children, Jean-Pierre and Paulette. Their white, a classic Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle and Semillon, is quite crisp with an herbal edge as well as ripe fruit and a lively aftertaste.

Part of Best-value Bordeaux white wines: Top 20 picks from Entre-Deux-Mers   Decanter  90pts

Good lemon and lime juiciness with some very subtle spiced edges around the peach and apricot flesh flavours. It's nicely rounded and balanced with a zippy lift at the end. Drinking Window 2020 – 2023

I really don’t drink enough white wine – this is an excellent French white that has fruit (citrus) and nice acidity. Great sipping and good with lighter fare. Available at around $15, worth buying several to keep on hand.

2017 Valravn Zinfandel, Sonoma County, CA

" Valravn is born from bush-pruned vines ranging in age from 50 to 105-years-old, harvested between September 14th and October 2nd. Hand harvesting each vineyard parcel allowed for selection of only the most pristine bunches which averaged 26 brix at harvest. Grapes were hand sorted and gently destemmed before fermentation. After a 24 hour cold-soak, which served to extract richness and color from these black grapes, the wine was slowly fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks with twice-daily remontage (pumping over) during fermentation. The wine was then racked into French oak barrels (20% new) and aged for 10 months before being bottled with no fining and a very light filtration.

Winemaking Notes: After a 24 hour cold-soak, which served to extract richness and color from these black grapes, the wine was slowly fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks with twice-daily remontage (pumping over) during fermentation. The wine was then racked into French oak barrels (20% new) and aged for 10 months before being bottled with no fining and a very light filtration.

Nice flavor to this zin, though I thought maybe a touch flat on the mid-palate. Enough acidity to go with food, overall a nicely balanced wine.  Priced around or just under $20.

2015 Trione Zinfandel, Flatridge ranch, Sonoma County, CA

Flatridge Zinfandel is a very special wine and vineyard.  The vineyard was planted with a selection of zinfandel sourced from a 100-year-old vineyard next to St.  Peter’s Church in the northern Sonoma County town of Cloverdale.  The church’s vineyard has been the source of plant material for many well-known producers of Zinfandel in the Rockpile Appellation of Sonoma County.  It was made in small open top fermenters in a style similar to pinot noir, hand plunging the cap three to four times daily.  The wine was also made with a special strain of yeast selected from a Rockpile selection of Syrah. 

Blackberries and blueberries are the first impressions; beautiful soft entry with a well-knit tannin structure, supple yet with firm mouthfeel and finish. This wine develops in the glass from subtle fruit aromatics to ever evolving notes of plum, allspice and black currant. It is developing with intensity and substance and should continue to do so for the next 4-7 years.

Very good fruit on the palate, with a moderate aftertaste. Enough acidity and hints of tannins, good match for beefy dishes. Little more pricey at around $30, but has held well for a 2015 vintage.

2017 Ridge ‘East Bench’ Zinfandel, Dry Creek valley, Sonoma, Ca

History                  Ridge has made the East Bench as a single vineyard wine since 2006, one of the few Ridge zinfandels that is 100% zinfandel. The vineyard sits high atop the bench land that overlooks Dry Creek Valley from the east.

Raspberry, fig with notes of vanilla on the nose. Flavors of plum and black olive give way to well coated tannins and black olive in the lingering finish.

Harvest Dates: 11 – 14 September           Grapes: Average Brix 24.7˚

Fermentation: Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic) fermentations; once daily pump-overs; pressed at nine days.

Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (10% new, 10% one year-old, 20% three years-old, 20% four years-old, and 20% five years-old).

Aging: Twelve months in barrel

JebDunnuck.com: 93 Points “All Zinfandel from the Dry Creek Valley, the 2018 Zinfandel East Bench offers up a great, pure, medium to full-bodied style that carries lots of classic spice, brambly herbs, incense, and plum-laced fruits. Nicely balanced, structured, and with solid length, this terrific Zinfandel will be even better with a year in bottle and keep for a decade.” – Jeb Dunnuck (May 2020)

This is a big wine, moderate fruit and spice nose and a big mouthfeel – black fruits with some herbs in the palate. A classic zin from one of the best producers. Some tannins, good acidity; matched with beef very well. Decent price for Ridge at only $30.

2018 Ridge Geyserville Red, Alexander Valley, Sonoma, Ca

68% Zinfandel, 20% Carignane, 10% Petite Sirah, 2% Alicante Bouschet

Vintage                                2018

Vineyard              Geyserville

Appellation         Alexander Valley

Alcohol By Volume          14.7%

Dark ruby color. Intense black cherry fruit aroma, exotic oak spice, cola, mint, and complex gravel earth. Intense bramble fruit entry, sensuous textural tannins, lively acid, and showing great minerality in a long finish.

Connoisseurs’ Guide: 91 Points “Ridge’s iconic Geyserville bottlings are always rich and complex wines that stray a bit from the Zinfandel norm, and the latest, as usual, is a deep and substantial, near-brooding offering whose ample dark berry fruit is laced with lots of distinct earthy spice and is up to the task of fighting through no small measure of tannins. Sure to be long-lived and, in fact, emphatically asking for age, the 2018 version is years away from coming fully into its own and should be laid away in the hard-to-reach realms of the cellar for a full half-decade or more.” (July 2020)

Geyserville contains the oldest block of vines that Ridge farms—some blocks are 130-plus years old. Ridge has made a single vineyard wine from here, every year, for the last 52 years. Ridge Geyserville is the epitome of classic, ageworthy, old vine Zinfandel.

Another big wine from Ridge. Nose was modest (it is only a 2018 vintage)but the red and black fruits covered the palate with spices and some earth with some tannins. Good acidity to go with a heavy meal – classic red zinfandel field blend from Ridge. Got to be one of my favorites, along with Lytton Springs. Around $50 – but a heck of a zin that you could cellar for 5 years and still have a great wine.

Another month has gone by - hope you are all safe and well. Until next month, keep popping those corks and I'll meet you out behind the grapevines