WTN /Wine Advisor: Wine Focus - The styles of Zin

[Robin Garr]

Wine Focus - The styles of Zin

Okay, so you love Zinfandel. But which Zin? Perhaps more than any of the other top grape varieties except Riesling, which appears in dozens of guises, Zinfandel may be made in styles that range from elegant and claret-like to intense, high-alcohol blockbusters.

Not counting the justly maligned White Zinfandel, I can think offhand of three major stylistic categories for Zin. Some of you may be able to come up with more:

1. Historic, classic-style California Zin, actually a rustic "field blend" of Zin with such other usual suspects as Petite Sirah, maybe Carignan and others. The Pedroncelli 2005 Dry Creek Valley Sonoma County "Mother Clone" Zinfandel featured in the July 23, 2008, 30 Second Wine Advisor, could be listed as a modern example of this style; Ridge Geyserville may be one of the most iconic examples.

2. Lighter, "claret-style" Zins with good fruit but lighter body and (relatively) low alcohol. The Peachy Canyon "Incredible Red" featured in <a href="#TN">my tasting notes below</a> fit into this category for me.

3. The huge, blockbuster-style Zins, ranging upward from 15 percent alcohol, typically fruit bombs and often carrying a style that's reminiscent of berry liqueurs, tend to win high ratings points and are immensely popular with those who like them. More suited in my opinion as a cocktail than a food wine, it's not my favorite style of Zin.

What's more, none of this takes into accunt regional differences in Zinfandels among the Sierra Foothills, Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles and other distinctive growing areas in California alone.

This month we're looking at Zinfandel as our online Wine Focus project for August, with a particular interest in examining the various styles that have emerged in this variety that came from Croatia to Italy and California and is grown in Australia and elsewhere, but that many now consider one of the most American of grapes.

You're welcome to join the Wine Focus conversations with your comments on any Zin from any zone, and Italian Primitivo - which is genetically identical to Zinfandel - is certainly acceptable as an alternative, especially for those in Europe who may find it hard to get a good selection of Zin.

When you post, it would be interesting to try to place your sample stylistically and discuss how the particular style works for you. Personally, I'm going to be following my usual practice of checking the alcohol content on the label before I buy, and rejecting those in the high-octane range.

Peachy Canyon 2006 "Incredible Red" Paso Robles Zinfandel ($11.99)

Consciously chosen as the only Zin under 14% alcohol on my neighborhood wine shop's shelf, this Central Coast Zin is dark ruby in color, with bright reddish-orange glints. Light red-berry aromas are pleasant but surprisingly subtle for a Zin, at least within the first hour after opening, but it does open up well with time, adding richer berry fruit after a couple of hours and even overnight. Good mouthfeel, tart, zingy fruit, definitely styled to go with food, with appropriately strong but not overpowering 13.9% alcohol. Neither an old-fashioned "field blend" nor a modern "blockbuster," it falls closer to the "claret-style" category, a niche that I was afraid had just about disappeared. (July 31, 2008)

FOOD MATCH: Excellent with fresh local lamb chops crusted with pepper and pan-seared.

VALUE: Twelve bucks? Buy it by the case, and doubly so if you find it discounted below this local price, which matches the winery price. But at least at this stage in its evolution, do give it an hour or two before dinner to open up more fully in the decanter or glass.

WHEN TO DRINK: Ready to go now, but its performance under breathing suggests that this is one Zin that might gain a bit with a year or two of careful cellar time.

WEB LINK:
Here's a link to the Peachy Canyon Website, which includes wine sales and a mail-order wine club where the law permits:
http://www.peachycanyon.com/

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Look for vendors and compare prices for Peachy Canyon "Incredible Red" on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Peach ... g_site=WLP

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Great stuff Robin. Remember Peachy Canyon from years back, used to be on the local shelves regularily.
I used to be a great Zin drinker but have moved in other directions. This Focus and Davids note about preferring Sonoma has given me some impetus!!

Excellent topic, Robin. And the Peachy Canyon Incredible Red is a very tasty example of classically styled zinfandel. I would like to point out, though, that in many areas it is very difficult to produce balanced zins below 14% without blending. Zinfandel doesn't have the same ripening curve as other varieties and we frequently have to wait for the pH levels to rise to an appropriate level, while the Brix is steadily climbing. I think it would be more realistic to explore zins under 15%, as there are plenty of wonderful 14-15% abv zins that fall into the "classically styled" category.

It's a good time to think about the various styles of zinfandel as September garden harvests are approaching, with all those wonderful autumn barbecues.

[David M. Bueker]

Welcome to the WLDG Mary.

I like the way Robin categorizes Zin into three distinct styles. Each probably should be judged on its own merits, but then if you fall as I do in Robin's wine-should-go-with-food school it's hard to get enthusiastic about wine cocktails. On Squires now there is a long thread titled "The Greatest Zin Ever?", which I stopped reading after the first ten or so postings as it doesn't seem to me to make much sense to compare, say, Ridge Lytton and Geyserville with the Turleys, the former being food friendly and more cellar worthy than most Cabs, and the latter much better candidates for a fraternity party, or to give Turleys their due, more likely to run away with the prize in a neighborhood blind tasting.

As I have no desire to jump into the Squires apples-versus-oranges thread let me tell you guys about my "Greatest Zin Ever." It was 1990 Lytton, a wine that was delicious young, then more delicious in middle age (in 1998 and thereabouts), and then in its old age it morphed into a wonderful Bordeaux taste-alike. Wish I still had some. But then Lytton isn't a Zin but a blend of Zin, Petit Sirah and the other stuff that grows side-by-side with Zin in the Lytton Vineyard. So what I'm saying is in my view -- the Garr view that wine is meant to be drunk with meals -- the very best Zins, the "Greatest" if you will, may not be Zins but blends.

Interesting note, Robin. I had an '06 Peachy Canyon Westside that was an oaky mess while vacationing in Florida.

Mark Lipton

[Robin Garr]

Interesting note, Robin. I had an '06 Peachy Canyon Westside that was an oaky mess while vacationing in Florida.

Mark Lipton

Interesting, Mark, and cautionary. I can only speak to the low-end "Incredible Red," and perhaps speculate that I got lucky because they didn't go Big Oak in order to keep the price point down.

That said, I visited Peachy Canyon back in the early '90s (and featured it, among many others, in a NY Times travel piece), and they were certainly making a line of classy Zins - in my opinion - back then.

Due to your writing, I tried 06 Incredible Red and it's Incredible wine. Nice balance. In the two bottles I sampled, they seemed to have minimized the brambly/stemmy thing that happens so often with Zinfandels. This wine disappeared with deceptive speed in my house. I'm going to pick up a few more bottles.

Again, thanks!

[Robin Garr]

Jim, thanks, and welcome to the forum! I hope your first post won't be your last ... we enjoy talking about wine around here and hope you'll join us.

Due to your writing, I tried 06 Incredible Red and it's Incredible wine. Nice balance. In the two bottles I sampled, they seemed to have minimized the brambly/stemmy thing that happens so often with Zinfandels. This wine disappeared with deceptive speed in my house. I'm going to pick up a few more bottles.

Again, thanks!

Didn't you forget the 4th kind - white Zin?

Your middle category is the one I rarely buy. If I want lower to mid-priced reds with good fruit but more character, I am off to the Rhone every time.

I do like the old style Zins as well as the big style, however would comment that the more they are like Australian jam post the less I like them. I'd put many of the Turleys in the last category and many drink very well.

I rarely buy Zins at all any more, though I used to buy many regularly. The fact that your Peachy costs $20 here should tell you why. For that price I can drink Colombo, St. Cosme, Parallel 45 or other decent Cotes du Rhone, or pay $5 less for the Perrin Reserve, which blows the Peachy out of the water as far as QPR in our market is concerned.

Were I inclined to go for a mid-weight Zin, I'd probably opt for a Cline.

Popped another '06 with Mac&Cheese last night. This is sure a great wine that goes with many dishes.

I have to put a word in for the newly released `07 Sonoma Co. Zin from Seghesio, which featured in the much maligned WS Top 100.
I was really impressed with this lighter style from this winery, please give it a try.

I would like to add a few words about the Seghesio Sonoma 2007 Zin. I have read many of the comments on this wine. I am in the retail business. For me Seghesio has always been one of the first to release their Sonoma Zin. It always seems to take at least 6-9 months to really meld together. But it always does. Give it a couple years and you will be amazed at how it comes together.