Restrained Zinfandel advice sought

[Redwinger]

I opened my last bottle of 2001 Nalle Zinfandel last evening with our lasagne dinner. It was wonderful...I've posted a number of notes on this wine over the last year, so I'll not bore you with more of the same.
Zin isn't fashionable these days, but I do love Nalle Zinfandel and it got me a-thinkin': Are there other producers out there making a lower alcohol, non-gobby, food friendly Zin that can age a few years, that I should be seeking out? Any recs?
Thanks,
Wm.

[Bill Buitenhuys]

How about the italian equivalent, primitivo? You can find all the spice of a zin while getting the food-friendly acidity of a southern italian red. Here is the last one I had with a bit of bottle age that really caught my attention.

2002 Antica Masseria del Sigillo Salento Primitivo (Puglia). Impressive fruit, smokiness, and spice in this lower alcohol level (12%), elegant primitivo.

[Randy Buckner]

Excellent question, Bill. I have essentially quit drinking Zin because of the "bigger is better" mentality. If you don't make 15-16 percent alcohol, massively extracted Zins, then a lot of the press ignores you.

Bless her heart, I love Carol Shelton, but her Zins often top 16 percent! That is the style she likes and people snap them up -- they're just not for me. I'm not singling Carol out. She has a lot of company.

[Bill Hooper]

What about Green and Red? It's been a few years since I drank any Zinfandel, but I remember GnR making some good, 'smart' zins.

Prost!
Bill

[John Treder]

David Coffaro - http://www.coffaro.com/

[Dale Williams]

Dashe reminds me of Nalle.

[Redwinger]

Dashe reminds me of Nalle.

Dale,
I haven't had a Dasche Zin in probably 3 or 4 years. I seem to recall them being all over the spectrum. Some were restrained/elegant and others were ringers for Ridge (not that there is anything being Ridgesque). I may just give Dasche another go.
Thanks

[Randy Buckner]

G&R is slipping over to the dark side. Their lowest alcohol Zin is 14.5 percent. Same goes for Dashe. Does anyone make 13 percent Zins anymore?

[ClarkDGigHbr]

I have essentially quit drinking Zin because of the "bigger is better" mentality. If you don't make 15-16 percent alcohol, massively extracted Zins, then a lot of the press ignores you.

Ditto for me on those big Zins. A few years ago we hosted a winter wine party with the theme Cast Out Thy Zins as an opportunity to start purging the wine collection of Zinfandel. I've gifted other bottles since then, so I'm to the point where only a few bottles remain.

BTW ... when I first saw the posting subject (Restrained Zinfandel), the word oxymoron immediately came to mind.

-- Clark

[Mike Filigenzi]

I had a Sobon Estate Old Vine zin a week ago that I thought was excellent. Not gobby or overly fruity at all. Very food friendly and cheap to boot.


Mike

[D Honig]

Gravity Hills Tumbling Tractor has 13.6%, and was very good. Pretty big and fruity, but not overpowering from alcohol. Also, at $16.98 per bottle, you can afford to keep it around in bulk.

[Jon Peterson]

Bill, last evening, I had my last bottle of Bogle Old Vine Zin. It was a 2001 and 14.5% alcohol, a little high to be a recommendation based on your post. However, what a nice bottle of wine. My wife gave it a 90 and I agree. We had it with a grilled stuffed flank steak and was a very nice match. I think this is a food friendly wine but it could have stood on its own and been very nice without any food at all.

[Jenise]

Swan.

[James Dietz]

What Jenise said...the '99 Swan Mancini Zin is balanced, not over-the-top in any way... really good stuff.....There are a couple of other '99 Zins Swan is currently selling as well, though I haven't tasted them.

[TomHill]

That would be the Scherr.
And also the Ottominno (sp?), made by BillKnuttle. The vonWeidlichVnyd is particularly.
Also the DryCreekVnyds Zins are a bit more restrained.
Tom

[Jenise]

And to come from another planet entirely, the Maryshill from Washington State. Surprising.

[Paul B.]

A few years ago we hosted a winter wine party with the theme Cast Out Thy Zins as an opportunity to start purging the wine collection of Zinfandel.

Clark, I love that theme! What a great pun. Too bad it's taken already, because it would make a fantastic theme for a MoCool sometime ...

[Paul B.]

Does anyone make 13 percent Zins anymore?

Can't answer your question directly as I haven't bought any Zin for a long time, mainly due to the high-alcohol/high-r.s. condition of so many of them. However, I can corroborate that 13% was a very nice level of alcohol in Zin when I did used to buy them some years ago. I remember having a 13% alc. Zin called "La Primitiva" by Martin & Weyrich back around 1998 that was just full of peppery, raisiny fruit and a very balanced, well-structured mouthfeel. Nothing was goopy or excessive in the wine; it really went well with food. (Here is a picture of the label) Truth be told, I no longer know who has kept to this style, and I guess that it won't be easy to know precisely because the style is not being popularized out there.

[ClarkDGigHbr]

A few years ago we hosted a winter wine party with the theme Cast Out Thy Zins as an opportunity to start purging the wine collection of Zinfandel.

Clark, I love that theme! What a great pun. Too bad it's taken already, because it would make a fantastic theme for a MoCool sometime ...

Paul, Be my guest and re-use that theme. Just FYI, I also posted a sign on the front door with the following message:

All who pass through this portal tonight, shall henceforth be absolved of White Zin.

-- Clark

[John Treder]

Darn. I was trying to keep it a secret. <g>

[Bernard Roth]

Sometimes you can still find older Joe Swan zins on the market. I don't know how the recent editions stack up.

[Brian K Miller]

Sky makes a restarained Mount Veeder Zin that was under 14% at one point.

[Dale Williams]

Dry Creek Vineyards is a nice suggestion from TomH.

While I'm no fan of high alcohols, I tend to think Zin can hold 14-15% ok if in the right hands. What is hot in Cabernet or Merlot is not neccessarily in Zin or Grenache.

[Jenise]

Sometimes you can still find older Joe Swan zins on the market. I don't know how the recent editions stack up.

They stack up well, Bernie. Rod's taste in wine hasn't changed, and he's stayed true to his tastes.