A Balanced Zinfandel?

Recently, I hosted my wine club. The theme I choose was Zinfandel. I put in several of what I consider the best zinfandels on the market. We had 18 of them. At about the half way mark I was saying to myself, “Do I like Zin anymore?” Now I don’t often “say” to myself, so this made me ponder. As an aside, is pondering the same as “saying” to oneself? All of the wines seemed heavy and finished with a lash of alcohol. The technical term I used was “out of wack.”

The wines were all monolithic without much balance. Then I came to a wine that stood out for its lack of boldness. This wine had ample fruit; notes of pepper maybe even cedar. The finish was smooth, fruity and intense, but lacking the pungent taste of alcohol. Dare I say the wine was balance? I dare. Dare I say a Zinfandel was refined? Yes, I do dare.

This was the type of wine that Zinfandel use to be, before the alcohol levels were driven through the roof. It was a ripe tasting wine, without tasting like prunes or raisins. Could this be a return to the past in Zinfandel making? I hope so. (Cue the Back to Future music by Huey Lewis.)

The wine?

Dashe Dry Creek Zinfandel 2009. I f you see it, buy it, try it, then thank me!

Great Pinot

The Williams Selyem 1995 Rochioli is the best California Pinot Noir I have ever had.

More to come