At Dutcher Crossing, it was the growers time to shine this past weekend. The winery held a barrel and tank tasting complete with the growers themselves holding the wine thieves (the tool used to sample wine from a barrel). This was something I’ve very rarely experienced.

I found it immensely pleasurable to chat with the ones who tended to the very grapes that I now have in my glass. They were enjoyable to chat with, learning about how each one cared for the grapes in a different way, depending upon the conditions they were in.

I found it fascinating how the Bernier-Sibary Zinfandel was a true field blend— a replica percentage planting of the grapes. While that is the true definition of the term “field blend”, more often than not wineries are using it more in conjunction to simply indicate a blend.

Some of the wines surprised me, as was the case with the ’08 Cabernet Sauvignon. I would have guessed before even tasting that the tannins would have been charging towards my taste buds faster than a sports car. However, and to my enjoyment, the tannins were immensely subdued, to which the grower also concurred.

A great sampling of tank and barrel sampled coupled with scrumptious food made my wine tasting at Dutcher Crossing one I will not soon forget. If you’re in Dry Creek, take a trip north to Dutcher Crossing. The stories, if not only the wine, will surely excite you!

Cheers,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County (and at times, Napa Valley) looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

One great combination is Zinfandel and dark chocolate. The medium to dark berries coupled with a bit of spice / pepper (you don’t want too much pepper) are natural compliments to the almost bitter dark chocolate. Pick your Zins from well-known Zinfandel regions, such as Dy Creek, Paso Robles or Lodi. Remember to not have too much pepper on the tongue or the taste of the chocolate will be muted.

When picking out a dark chocolate, try to stay near or above 70%. Too light and the intensity of the chocolate won’t match the strength of the wine. Good friend, and fellow blogger, Kelly Staples of dogs2cents.com (a great read about the life of Lucy in wine country), recently paired a Pezzi King Zinfandel from Dry Creek with blueberries and dark chocolate. The fruit forwardness of the wine and the ample tannins mixed extremely well with both the fruit and the chocolate. Much like a decanter is used to amplify the wine’s notes, so to does the chocolate. A simply Zin turned extraordinary with the help of one extra component.

Have you tried Zinfandel and Dark Chocolate? If you, what’s your take on it? I’d love to hear from you on either the comments here or through twitter @haydnadams.

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County (and at times, Napa Valley) looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

Best of Class:

Bedrock Wine Company
Morgan Twain-Peterson is one of the hottest winemakers at this time. His knowledge is clearly evident in his two wines showcased: the 2009 Stellwagen Vineyard and the 2009 Dolinsek Ranch (along the 2008 Heirloom at the Flights! showcase). At a case production of under 200, these micro-produced wines were some of the strongest Zin’s found.

Dasche Cellars
The best description I had for this winery was “calm”. All of their wines flowed easily over the palate and left with a considerable length. Elegant Zinfandels.

Wineries to Watch For:

Brazen Cellars
One of the stronger wines to come out of Lodi, Brazen rounds out their portfolio with a strong Zin from Dry Creek. With price points of $17, they are wonderful.

Klinker Brick
Another strong winery out of Lodi. The “Old Ghost” Zinfandel is still one of the best wines from that region.

Starlite Vineyards
A little gem that is peeking it’s head out from the Alexander Valley. In an area that is known for their Cabs, this Zin shines. Their Zin also was partially aged in Hungarian Oak, giving it beautiful hints of white pepper, a bit of spice and a few berries on the nose. Along with the Zin characteristics, there were even bits of cocoa and plums.

If you were at the Grand Tasting at ZAP, I’d love to hear what you’re favorites were. Feel free to comment here or e-mail me at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

Cheers,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County (and at times, Napa Valley) looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

The 9th Annual Flights! was a showcase of five different winemakers ranging from Eric Baugher, winemaker at Ridge, to smaller-producers, such as Matt Cline, of Three Wine Cellars. Each winemaker showcased a slightly different style of Zinfandel ranging from 100% Zinfandel to Morgan Twain-Peterson’s Zin of 6 different varietals plus “other stuff”.

The discussion ranged from the ever-debatable alcohol percentages to dry farming and soil conditions. But at the heart of the matter was the question, “What is Zinfandel?” The nature of Zinfandel is as temperamental as any grape, even more so than the Pinot Noir, due to it’s thin-skin makeup. Jeff Cohn, of JC Cellars (formerly of Rosenblum) described Zin as being “like Beyonce”.

Stepping back from the deeper questions, it was simply great to taste a dramatically different makeup of Zins. Some were sourced from as far south as Paso Robles, while others were in the Napa Valley. Each seemed to have captured the terrior in the wine. Dry Farming, irrigation, additions of Carignane, Petite Sirah, and the list goes on and on, were continually discussed.

While I can say I know a fair bit about this mistivious grape, I came away with a greater knoweldge and a greater appreciation for the Zinfandel. Like America that grows it, the Zinfandel (both 100% and as a blend) are still taking shape. And Zap’s Flights! discussion is a perfect platform in which to evaluate, learn and discern the grape with each passing vintage. These might be reasons enough for you to check out ZAP for yourself next year!

Cheers,
Haydn

Speakers and their respective wines that were poured:

Morgan Twain-Peterson | Bedrock Wine Company
Bedrock Wine Company 2007 Bedrock Heirloom Wine from Sonoma Valley
2007 Ravenswood Zinfandel Bedrock Vineyard from Sonoma Valley

Steve Hall | Robert Biale Vineyards
2007 Aldo’s Vineyard from the Napa Valley
2007 Stagecoach from the Napa Valley

Jeff Cohn | JC Cellars
2007 The Impostor Red Blend from California
2007 Sweetwater Springs Zinfandel from the Russian River

Eric Baugher | Ridge Vineyard
2007 Geyserville
2007 California Zinfandel from Paso Robles

Matt Cline | Three Wine Company
2007 Old Vines Zinfandel from California
2007 Old Vines from California

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County (and at times, Napa Valley) looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.

All the wineries, under one room, err, tent.

Review of ZinTopia
by Haydn S. Adams

The WInegrowers of Dry Creek held it’s first Zintopia—to highlight Dry Creek’s most treasured grape, the ZInfandel. Unlike PinotDays and other Zinfests, this event really honed in on the family winemaking aspect along with the down-to-earth feel that Dry Creek has.

While Zinfandel was the staple wine at the event (as it is in Dry Creek in general), other wines were featured. The whites, aptly being poured on yellow table cloths, could be found, with a majority pouring Sauvignon Blanc. The other, which was creative, was the “Unusual Reds”, featuring non-Zinfandel or Zin blends comprised of less than 75%. This suited such wineries as Montemaggiore well, as they are 100% Zin free. Or as Vince, owner said, “We dare to be different”.

Great food to accompany Great wine

Park Avenue catering did a fabulous job providing excellent food to pair with the wine. Meaty fish, a few different pizzas, and burger-style dishes were in order. The catering company even dolled out desserts towards the later half of the event. I was quite impressed, as well, at how the food was spread around. That led to less of a line bunched up buffet-style.

Erik Miller, winemaker from Kokomo Winery

The winemakers were there, and pouring

This is truly the hallmark of Dry Creek—family owned wineries with visible winemakers. With most wineries you’re more likely to find a portrait of the winemaker hanging in the tasting room than you are them in the flesh. Not the case with Dry Creek and Zintopia. Throughout the day you could mix and mingle with such winemakers as Eric from Kokomo and Steven Canter from Quivira. Vincent Ciolino from Montemaggiore could be found on the unusual reds, and Lou Preston of Preston vineyards could be seen either walking around sampling the wares or showcasing his organic vegetables in adjacent section of the event.

It was enjoyable chit chat with the very people who crafted the wines being sampled. And while at first you might find it intimidating to let your true feeling be known about the wine to the winemaker, on the flip side, it is quite fulfilling to tell him or her just how good their wine is.

Steven Canter, winemaker for Quivira

Overall great atmosphere

This has to be one of the best wine tasting events I’ve been to in a while. The crowd was large enough to feel cozy, yet I wasn’t needing to stand 3 deep in line to get a micro-pour. Everyone was upbeat, friendly and courteous. I had time to talk with many new winemakers whom I had never met, or even, heard of before. The winegrowers of Dry Creek did an excellent job of reflecting the feeling of Dry Creek in ZinTopia. And that was the keystone to why the event felt so great. I can’t wait ’til ZinTopia 2.0!

Cheers,
Haydn

Recently I had the chance to sit down with Ravenswood’s winemaker Joel Peterson to discuss his latest line, his single vineyard designate collection. I must say I was looking forward to seeing how many Zins just one can produce, and how much of a difference they were. I was in for a shock.

Joel is a well-spoken, experienced and extremely knowledgeable winemaker. He’s held the winemaker position for 30+ years, a feat most wineries only dream about. And he still has a remarkable passion to the land and to the grape. Over dinner and 8 bottles of wine (for the record, we didn’t even come close to finishing them), Joel recounted of the days when he first met Robert Parker Jr., going on to explain that he had just driven from Tahoe that morning and arrived to the winery wearing his ski parka and corresponding attire (you would think you would want a good first impression to a man who can literally change your wine’s future in a matter of 2 to 3 digits).

He recounted the wine that got him started, the day Costco wanted his wines, the day his friend offered him to try a 1929 bottle of Bordeaux that had been underneath a New Jersey beach house for nearly half of a century. And all of this lead to the 8 vineyard designate wines which I was happy to sample.

The wines can be summed up with a phrase from fellow winemaker Greg Follette of Tandem— Vint with honor. And that is what Joel has done. Having more information in his head than what is probably in the library at UC Davis, Joel has crafted 8 wines from 8 distinctive locations in Napa and Sonoma County. The most interesting part of the tasting was that most were not 100% ZIn. I assumed that having come from the same vineyard that they were, to which I was incorrect.

Taste of the location

If you want to taste precisely what wine from specific regions, AVA’s even, taste like, then these wines are for you. Dry Creek, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley are all represented. Closing my eyes, I could see exactly where these wines came from (having sampled a fair bit of wines in the past from the regions mentioned above). Greg accompanied each wine with a personal story, explaining everything about the vineyard from the former owner to how he found the vineyard. I’m still torn whether I treasured the stories, the wine, or the charm of the winemaker more. I guess, in the end, it was all-of-the-above.

The next time you’re in Sonoma, stop in to Ravenswood and sample these exquisite wines. The prices are fair and, given the current economic times, they are an affordable luxury. They range from the mid $30s to $75 for the Icon (one beautiful almost-Bordeaux blend from one vineyard). A new look at a legendary winery.

Cheers,
Haydn

2003 Thomas Coyne Zinfandel (Late Harvest)
Appellation: Lodi
Alc: 16.9%
Haydn gives it: 93pts
Not available (as far as I can tell)
Winery: Thomas Coyne Winery in Livermore

As mentioned in my previous post, I greatly enjoyed the m2 wines. However, one wine stood out amongst the rest as my personal favorite at the wine makers dinner. The crown jewel of the night was the Thomas Coyne 2003 Zinfandel, Late Harvest. In going with the overall theme of the night, it was also grown in Lodi. While I did enjoy the m2 the best out of the wines provided for us, it was winemaker himself, Thomas Coyne that pulled this bottle (what seemed like out of a hat) out for us to try during dessert.

There are two things I greatly enjoy in life— chocolate and wine (there are plenty of others, but I’m on a theme here, so go with me here). I’ve also maintained that one of Zinfandel’s secret is it’s ability to pair well with chocolate. While most people would run towards the Petite Sirah, I default to a Zin. Apparently Mr. Coyne agreed with me (or it could have been that it was a Zin fest after all, though I’d like to think he was unconsciously proving my hypothesis).

The late harvest Zin mirrored perfectly with the chocolate chip cookies. I was sure it would have paired better with the chocolate covered strawberries but the cookies won the pairing battle. The key to this wine was that it was blended partially with Petite Sirah (as mentioned before, a great chocolate-pairing varietal) and that is what gave it the right kick.

I was overwhelmed with joy. After drinking a bit of the late harvest Zin, a conversation was struck up with Mr. Coyne and extended until the wee hours of the event.

I don’t know how much this bottle is, or if it is even available for purchase. But I can tell you that I will be buying wine from him in the future along with visiting his winery in Livermore. His knowledge of wine is very deep and I look forward to showcasing more of his wines on this site.

Stay tuned for part 3 of the Lodi Zinfest

by Haydn S. Adams | Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog
May 17th, 2009

The winemakers dinner at the Lodi Zinfest, was held on May 15th in Lodi, California. According to the advertising, we were to experience the top 12 Zins of Lodi. In addition, I was told that the food at the dinner was “barbecued wine country cuisine”. Thankfully the wines held up because the “barbecue” did not.

It turned out that the second wine that I had at the dinner (out of about 10 or so, a few non-Zins) was to be one of my favorites. The m2 Zinfandel was a true gem with a bit of strawberries and deep blackberries and a touch of black pepper. According to the winemaker it’s a “velvet elvis”. The m2 “artist series” Zin was also featured but it lacked in structure. A tan thinner than I would have come to expect. I was happy they didn’t use “reserve” on the bottle. I rated the m2 ‘artist series’ an 88 and gave the other Zin 90pts.

There were a few other shining gems, including a wine that was dry farmed, and appeared to mimic the look of Petite Sirah (it was literally staining my glass), one that topped the alcohol charts at 15.9% and others that were just textbook Zinfandel. Overall, I was happy with what was coming out of Lodi. While they did lack the overall complexity as you would find in a few Dry Creek Zins (Zinfandel capital of the world), they were overall very satisfying.

It was also a pleasure to talk with the wine makers who were literally at arms distance as I was critiquing the wines. After the initial wine tasting round, we found our seats (thanks in part to vinvillage.com), and continued to pour a few more glasses and awaited the “barbecued” food.

Unfortunately the “barbecued” food was nothing more than over-grilled chicken and steak on skewers. No finger-lickin good sauce dripping from the meat. No, “pass me some more napkins”. Just plain ‘ole chicken. It was a bit of a disappointment because the peppery, fruit forward and strong Zins would have been awesome with some KC masterpiece sauce, and maybe a few ribs.

While, the food was average, the impromptu balloons were anything but. I’m not sure who had the smarts to pull this off, but my hat goes off to whomever who did. Imagine a room with a few hundred guests, some of them wine makers and vintners, and then introduce a few big purple balloons into the mix. Complete that with white shirts and filled wine glasses of red wine, and you’ve got a party.

Overall a very fun experience. I met a few wonderful vintners (coming up in my next article) and learned a great deal about Lodi wine.