WineBoard
A Zinfandel tasting in DC - Printable Version

+- WineBoard (https://www.wines.com/wineboard)
+-- Forum: TASTING NOTES & WINE SPECIFIC FORUMS (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-200.html)
+--- Forum: Zinfandel (The Real Red Stuff) (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-36.html)
+--- Thread: A Zinfandel tasting in DC (/thread-9506.html)



- wondersofwine - 04-21-2005

(also posted on another board)
It started out to be a Zinfandel/Primitivo tasting but no one came up with a Primitivo they thought was worth bringing. With wines and the dishes for a potluck supper we met at the hosts' condo in an historic apartment building in the Kalorama/Dupont Circle area of DC. (The lobby with its marble columns and very elaborate ceiling moldings is on the National Historic Register and was the backdrop for a scene in a Clint Eastwood movie "Absolute Power.") Nine people--ten Zins and two dessert wines. We started with the oldest zins which we thought might be over-the-hill disappointments.
1988 RAVENSWOOD OLD HILL RANCH, SONOMA. At 13.5% alcohol, this was mellowed and soft and viscous, with slight sediment. Fruit was still present and some remarked that it still exhibited oaky tannins, although the wood level did not bother me.

1995 RIDGE LYTTON SPRINGS 14.3% alcohol
Perfumed nose; not over-the-hill; almost a pruney sweetness. Good to know that the Lytton Springs can hold up for ten years.

2002 RIDGE LYTTON SPRINGS 14.4% alcohol Denser, darker, more tannic than the 1995. I had already tried this vintage and liked it.

2001 RAVENSWOOD MONTE ROSSO VINEYARD 13% alcohol
Quite viscous. Pleasant although not up to the Lytton Springs in my estimation.

2000 STEELE CATFISH VINEYARD, CLEAR LAKE, CA (LAKE COUNTY) 13.5% alcohol
Nice nose, smooth taste, not a big Cali Zin. I brought it because I like it and find it a good contrast to the high alcohol, really big Zins.
(Clear Lake, by the way, is "the largest, fresh-water lake in California. Ringed by inactive volcanoes, it is possibly the oldest lake in North America, being about half a million years old. Due to its high elevation, evening temperatures are very low, and the growing season is one of the longest in the state. It is the most consistent wine-producing region in California and exhibits unlimited potential." (quoting Fred McMillin on the Internet who was in turn quoting Professor John Baxevanis in "Wine Regions of America.")

I've lost track now of the order of some of the wines but somewhere we did have
1999 HARTFORD, HARTFORD VINEYARD, RUSSIAN RIVER, SONOMA, CA.
Nice nose, I found it to have quite a "bite" on the finish; definitely darker than the Catfish Vineyard Zinfandel.

2002 CAROL SHELTON "MONGA ZIN," CUCAMONGA VALLEY, LOPEZ VINEYARD
Berrylike nose and flavors; 15% alcohol

2002 ROBERT BIALE VINEYARDS, BLACK CHICKEN VINEYARD (NAPA VALLEY, CA)
Whopping 16.7% alcohol somehow disguised by the fruitiness. Interesting nose. I sensed raspberries as a dominant element.

The final flight of Zins brought
2001 C.G.DI ARIE SHENANDOAH VALLEY, AMADOR COUNTY, CA
Pleasant and light bodied compared to some of the others. This surprised me since the last two Amador Zins I've had (one was Spelletich) were high in alcohol. Looking up other descriptions of the wine I see it called medium to full bodied but with soft tannins. I guess the soft tannins lured me into thinking it was lighter in body. By the way, the husband of the husband and wife owners worked in foods development and is credited with the technology for Cap'n Crunch breakfast cereal from Quaker Oats and stabilizing foods such as pudding in a cup.

2002 TURLEY CELLARS DOGTOWN VINEYARD, LODI VALLEY, CA 16.5% alcohol
Again, considering the high alcohol by volume, this seemed to be a pretty decent balanced wine.

The consensus was that none of the ten wines were duds. Despite the differences in age, district, alcholol content and style, we liked all of them.
We voted for our three favorites and the winners were 1995 Ridge Lytton Springs (five first place votes and no seconds or thirds), 1999 Hartford Vineyard, Russian River, 2002 Robert Biale Vineyards, Black Chicken Vineyard (fourth place went to the 2002 Turley Cellars Dogtown Vineyard.)
My top three were the 1995 Lytton Springs, the 2002 Robert Biale Vineyards, Black Chicken Vineyard and the 2000 Steele Catfish Vineyard, Clear Lake.
The hosts provided a very lovely dessert wine:
2003 HERZOG LATE HARVEST CHENIN BLANC, CLARKSBURG, CA which delivered yummy apricot (and some said pineapple) flavors. Medium straw color; sweet but not over-the-line into cloying. Very nice.

I provided a .375ml bottle I had picked up at Ingleside Vineyards in Oak Grove, VA three days earlier. The OCTOBER HARVEST is a blend of late harvest Chardonnay and Viognier with about 12% residual sugar.

Dishes we enjoyed included cheese and cracker, cheese straws, grapeleaf-wrapped prunes with tumerin, marinated vegetables (asparagus, carrots), an artichoke/lemon/capers tapenade with crackers, enchiladas and for dessert a fruit crumble and a chocolate tart.


- winoweenie - 04-21-2005

Properly cellared I've found the Lytton Springs age with most cabernets. WW


- TheEngineer - 04-21-2005

Wow, thanks for all the hard work!


- wondersofwine - 04-22-2005

Yes, the notes are hard work--not the tasting.