Experience Counts: Old Zinners Are the Best

In a recent series of Zinfandel tastings, nearly 40% of the bottles sampled came from wineries less than a decade old. But while it is always fun to find new favorites, there’s nothing like the hand of experience when it comes to creating a quality product year after year. In the tastings, older wineries dominated.

Their success reminds us not to forget the track records of wineries with names we recognize. Maturity does not mean old-fashioned or behind the curve, not when you’re talking about Zinfandel in the hands of producers such as Ravenswood or Gundlach Bundschu, any more than it would for Cabernets from wineries such as Beaulieu, Beringer and Chappellet.

Years ago, these producers learned the secrets of making good Zinfandel: that fresh fruit flavor is the first order of business. It is nice to know that old-time Zinfandel is not out of style, after all.

$* 1999 Chateau Souverain, Dry Creek Valley, $11. Founded in the Napa Valley almost half a century ago, Souverain has been through multiple changes of ownership and expansion. Now, several incarnations later, it has emerged as a stable Sonoma County producer of good quality, fairly priced table wines. Its Zinfandel is a longtime favorite, and, in this latest version, the wine shows nicely crafted fruit at its heart, and lovely overall balance. Its focus is on the berryish end of the flavor spectrum, and its tannins, while evident, are soft enough to make the wine very attractive.

$* 1999 Dry Creek Vineyard “Heritage Clone,” Sonoma County, $13. David Stare’s Dry Creek Vineyard leapt onto the wine stage in the early 1970s with Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc, but its location means that first-rate Zinfandel is always just outside the cellar door. Over time, the winery has come to offer three levels of Zin, and, truth be told, I am partial to this lowest-priced version. It is a straightforward Zinfandel unencumbered by high alcohol or extensive oakiness. It has a fine, fleshy feel, muted tannins and nice touch of brightening acidity in the finish.

1999 Gundlach Bundschu Winery “Rhinefarm Vineyards,” Sonoma Valley, $20. This family-owned winery traces its roots back to 1858. Prior to Prohibition, it was well-regarded for a range of table and fortified wines, and the grapes of the Rhinefarm Vineyard south of the town of Sonoma were a favorite of many producers in the area from the time of repeal until the family got back into the winemaking business in the early ‘70s. I admit to being a longtime fan of the winery’s Zins and Merlots, and this latest Zin earns praise for its solid fruit and rich oak and for its bright, energetic stance that keeps everything in balance. It is made in a bigger, riper style than the first two wines.

* 1999 Lolonis Winery, Redwood Valley, $18. I count Lolonis as one of the old-timers because even though the winery is relatively new, the family has been growing grapes in Mendocino County for decades. Grapes it provided to Fetzer in the early ‘70s produced some of the biggest, most astringent Zinfandels ever seen at that time. The Lolonis Zin is no less deep in fruit but is considerably tamer in tannic toughness, and this regular bottling has proven to be one of our favorites, vintage in and vintage out. It is usually a ripe, blackberry-focused Zin with plenty of body and plenty of zesty character, and this vintage follows right in step.

*** 1999 Ravenswood Winery “Barricia Vineyard,” Sonoma Valley, $28. Joel Peterson founded Ravenswood in the ‘70s, but his wine heritage goes back a generation to his parents’ involvement as collectors, tasting-club organizers and wine writers. Ravenswood is one of the older kids on the block, with a proven track record. The Barricia Vineyard is my favorite for its intense, keenly focused, classically varietal, ripe berry nose and its deep, still-developing flavors. This is one to lay away a few years because it can only get better.

** 1999 Seghesio Family Vineyards “Cortina,” Dry Creek Valley, $22. The Seghesio family have been winegrowers in northern Sonoma County for more than a century, but it was not until the 1970s that they began the transformation from grower to grower-producer. Zinfandel is their stock in trade, accounting for the lion’s share of the winery’s output and four different bottlings. Cortina is always one of my favorites, and the 1999 is no different. The wine is centered on precise, ripe blackberry fruitiness tied to vital, snappy acidity of the type that allows Zin to match up with tomato-sauced pastas better than almost any other red wine.

*** 1999 Storybook Mountain Vineyards “Eastern Exposures,” Napa Valley, $32. Sometime in the ‘70s, Stanford history professor Jerry Seps left the groves of academe to study winemaking with Joseph Swan, then the grandmaster of Zinfandel in California. A few years later, Seps founded Storybook Mountain in the hills at the north end of the Napa Valley. His winery makes only Zinfandel, and his chosen style combines ripeness with refinement. At times, his wines can be a little under-stuffed, but when they succeed they are spectacular. His 1999 Eastern Exposures is deep and plushly textured. It makes no attempt to hide its ripeness, but still achieves a certain firmness in structure and a promise of improvement with patient cellaring.

** 1999 Trentadue Winery “La Storia,” Alexander Valley, $25. Vineyard owners in the Alexander Valley since 1959, Trentadue has always been more grower than wine producer. Despite rarely achieving attention for its wines, with the release of La Storia, the winery has succeeded in joining the Zinfandel competition. La Storia carries a rich, berryish character with tangy cherry and dark chocolate highlights. It is supple and open at the front of the palate and somewhat tannic, without becoming coarse or overdone in the finish. In short, La Storia is new wine from an old source.

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Symbols

*** A world-class wine, superb by any measure, the top 1% to 2% of all wines tasted.

** An exceptional wine, well worth the effort to find, 10% to 12% of wines tasted.

* An admirable wine, tasty, focused, attractive, about 25% of wines tasted.

No Rating: The best are quite pleasant and can be good buys when moderately priced.

$ Good value for the money.

x Below average quality, to be avoided.