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Our Wines: Zinfandel

Our production of Zinfandel only uses grapes grown at Scherrer Vineyard in Alexander Valley.

Scherrer Vineyard "Old and Mature Vines" Zinfandel: This wine represents the labor of three generations of the Scherrer family. Most of the vines which produced this wine were planted in 1912. It was bottled without fining or filtration to capture the beauty & personality of the Scherrer Vineyard. Although enjoyable in its youth, it should age & develop gracefully for 5 to 10 years after the vintage.

2007: As much as I love the 2006 vintage right now, this is my favorite right from the bottling machine. It is blended from a similar proportion of Pinot Noir and Zinfandel as the past few vintages, which seems to be the 'sweet spot' for this style of dry rosé. Bone dry with a bracing acidity, it goes well with slightly bitter, salty foods like olives, pink seafood (shrimp, crab, lobster), and tomato-based foods with Mediterranean notes. The aroma of this wine that dripped onto the bottling machine smelled like a mixture of watermelon, guava, and grapefruit. Folks have really caught on to this wine, as there are precious few bottles of 2006 left at this point…far earlier than I had intended. 224 cases were produced. $14 per bottle.

2006: As discussed earlier, this year I waited until bottling the wine to finish writing this. It has exceeded my expectations. I am quite pleased at the choices made at harvest allowing this wine to settle into its vintage-determined balance, rather than some numerical stereotype. With its typical mixture of blue, red and black fruits, it has uncommon depth and texture which should satisfy die-hard Zin lovers. It has a mysterious side, and a mild earthiness and structure that promises long life in the cellar. It offers great satisfaction for Pinot Noir enthusiasts due, in part, to its balance and flexibility with food. 920 cases produced. $30 per bottle, 24 bottle limit. Half bottles ($16) and magnums ($64) also available."

-- Spring, 2008 newsletter

2005: "I write this about a week before racking and bottling these Zinfandels, so I should reserve a bit of my enthusiasm for this stuff. However, composite blends of the different barrel types are blowing me away. The wine is both spicy and fruity, with many layers: Red, blue and black fruits, minerality and earthiness that make me anxious to bottle it so I can conveniently take some home. I keep reminding myself that pushing the bottling date out as far as possible is a very good thing for our Zinfandels. 890 cases produced. Current release price: $30 per bottle, 24 bottle limit. Half bottles ($16) and magnums ($62) also available."

2004: "Somehow, the Zinfandel seemed to enjoy both the moderate growing season, as well as the hot, dry spell right at harvest (usually not considered to be a good thing). What excites me about this vintage of Zinfandel, is that it has both the generosity of a relatively 'big' Zinfandel, while maintaining enough restraint (from alcohol and 'cooked' jamminess) and core structure (acidity and 'good' tannins) to age well and compliment food. It shows red, black and blue fruit aromas, peppercorns, along with a mild earthiness, kind of like comfort food for the nose. While it is built for a longer-haul, the tannins melt quite readily at this early stage with a bit of food.

"In my opinion, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. On a recent sales trip, someone told me that our Zins were not 'big' enough for their clientele who are accustomed to something akin to dry Port. My offhand response was "when you are ready to be seduced rather than raped, give a call." Of course, I had a Groucho Marx delivery in mind rather than Mae West. But either way, it works. (Groucho would have been talking about wine, but one of his brothers would have probably been talking to Mae.) 900 cases produced. Release price: $28 per bottle. Half bottles ($15) and magnums ($58) also available."

2003: "Tasting notes on recently bottled wine: Dark red fruits like pomegranate, red cherry, maraschino cherry, slight nectarine/stone fruit, white pepper, very slightly jammy. Our reductive (opposite of 'oxidative') winemaking here really showcases the perfumes and 'verve' of this grape, so obliterated when taken to prune-like overripeness. With a nicely centered structure, it's perfectly suited to use with food like duck or pork roast to show off its texture when young. While I have enjoyed this with dinner very much right before and after bottling in mid-February, I think a minimum of 8 to 10 months bottle aging will be well rewarded, typical of our OMV Zins. I thought it showed a little awkwardly at last August's barrel tasting [I had held off racking, SO2 adjustment, and blending until just days before the tasting], yet I am very happy with the wine's development as a result of that decision. 960 cases produced. Release price: $28 per bottle, 24 bottle limit. Half bottles ($15) and magnums ($58) also available."

-- Spring, 2005 newsletter

2002: "While I continue to be impressed by the concentration and slow, deliberate development of the 2001 OMV Zinfandel, I am also pleased by both the structure and balance of the 2002 as well as the more sprightly fruit it possesses. The 2002 promises to age quite well, but will readily offer up its youthful charms. The flavors are quite similar to our 1995 Zinfandel, centered on ripe, but not jammy fruit, with red berries and blueberry notes. Due to the more 'traditional Burgundian' techniques we have gravitated toward over the years, there is also a welcome, intriguing, earthy, toastiness in the background as a bonus. 1220 cases produced. Release price: $28 per bottle, 24 bottle limit. Half bottles ($15) and magnums ($58) also available."

-- Spring, 2004 newsletter

Update: "The 2002 Old & Mature Zinfandel ($28) has just come into its own as well, also two years after bottling. It is difficult dealing with the general public perception that Zins don't age, when your own need a couple of years in bottle to start off, then develop gracefully for quite a few more. We poured some 1995 OMV Zin from magnum at our November open house, only to have our library allocation sold out in about 90 minutes once people saw what it had become. Due to increased call for magnums on most of our wines, we plan to increase the number of those bottled slightly in the future. The April 2006 Food & Wine issue will evidently mention our 2002 OMV Zinfandel (in 750 mL) quite favorably in their Zinfandel report. Mr. Tanzer had a pretty tight bead on this wine almost a year earlier, giving it 90 points and speaking to its structure, restraint and youthfulness."

-- Spring, 2006 newsletter

Another Update: "Gourmet magazine's June, 2006 issue had a spread on balanced, food-friendly Zinfandels, stressing how hard they are to find. They picked our 2002 OMV among their top 5 recommended wines featured (of 125 tasted) giving a similar nod to the now sold out 2001 OMV. The 2002 OMV also got an 'insider's favorites' mention in the April, 2006 Food & Wine. Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Newsletter gave this a '90' rating some months previously. [OK, I'll stop it.]"

-- Autumn, 2006 newsletter

2001: "Serious Pinot Noir and red Burgundy fans seem to appreciate this style of Zinfandel more than they do the 'super-ripe' style currently in fashion. The texture and complexity of our wines from Dad's vineyard are appealing and versatile both in youth as well as with maturity. At bottling this February, the 2001 vintage seemed very much like the 1999 vintage with densely-packed dark fruit. But I think this wine has even greater promise for the future. For those new to our wines, I would suggest consuming bottles of the generous 2000 'OMV' (some is still available) while allowing this profound 2001 to blossom. Those of you with past vintages in the cellar can enjoy the developing wines all the way back to 1991 (our first) during this time. (Note: due to the variability in the sealing properties of the type of corks used for our 1991 and 1992's, I would suggest drinking these before any become 'museum pieces.' In 1993, we switched to a more gentle cork treatment which preserves the exterior cork cellular structure for more consistent long-term sealing properties.) Our Old & Mature Zinfandels age and develop consistently well and really do reward patience (or forgetfulness). This wine is a perfect example of this. 1500 cases produced. Release price: $28 per bottle. Half bottles ($15) and magnums ($58) also available."

-- Spring, 2003 newsletter

2000: "Contrasting with the 1999 vintage, the 2000 is smoother and more forward owing to its very ripe tannins and lower acidity. Its ripeness reminds me most of the 1996 OMV at this stage. Our Zinfandels (all reds, for that matter) are treated in a similar manner as Pinot Noir in the cellar, with minimal handling and long aging on its lees. This 'reductive' winemaking calls for longer time in the barrel for full development. While a lot of other Zinfandel producers prefer to bottle after 10 to 11 months in order to capture youthful fruitiness, I find that our Zinfandels need a second winter in barrel to finish their course. Two vintages 'on the floor' at once causes cooperage congestion, but it's worth it. For the last decade, our Old & Mature Zinfandels have aged consistently and gracefully at a speed that would bore even a Sloth. This is one that the Sloth can start sipping a little sooner, for once. 1500 cases produced. Release price: $28 per bottle."

-- Spring, 2002 newsletter

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2005 AND 2006 Scherrer Vineyard Special Cuvée Zinfandel

"Once in awhile, when inspired, a special cuvée asks to be created. We produced one in 1997 and in 1999. These are the result of continued personal stylistic introspection as much as the nature of the vintages.

"Based on my experience of making wine from this vineyard professionally every vintage since 1991 (and informal home winemaking dating from the mid-1970's), I have an impression of what best expresses this site and allows for a long ageing curve that allows us to enjoy this wine over 5 to 10 years…with food. Sometimes it is healthy to challenge that notion in order to either validate our current sense of aesthetics or to advance them.

"I selected several extremely small lots from the old vineyard planted in 1912 that were both higher in sugar content and unusually 'expressive', fermenting and barreling them separately. Both vintages completed fermentation at over 16% alcohol. Normally, we do not flirt with even 15%. During blending trials for the 2005 and 2006 Old & Mature Vines (OMV) Zinfandels, I was quite prepared to blend them all away to the potential benefit to our OMV. Happily, for all, we found that keeping these separate made for more bottles of superior wine of both kinds. This is an experiment that may or may not continue according to the needs of the OMV. But I am proud of the results for the 'Special Cuvée' as well as the OMV. Only one barrel (24 cases) of 'Special Cuvée' in each vintage was produced. There is so little, and we think they should be viewed as a pair, we are offering them as a matched set. $80 per pair (2005 and 2006)."

-- Spring, 2008 newsletter

Scherrer Vineyard "Shale Terrace" Zinfandel: Within the Scherrer Vineyard there are several different soils. One vineyard site, "The Shale Terrace", is located on a relatively deep, well drained, fractured shale subsoil. It yields wines with an uncommon blend of richness and finesse. This wine was bottled without fining or filtration to capture the beauty & personality of this particular vineyard site. 

2006: "Essentially, only a few more than those who bought this as futures will have the pleasure of drinking it at home. I will pour it at the open house to economize on your cellar and tease those who did not order it last August. That's OK, there's plenty good Zinfandel available in this offering. There are some bottles of 2003 and 2004 Shale Terrace lurking about the cellar that are available as well. We've included those on the order form so that we may satisfy that 'Shale jones.' Vertical selections might be a good idea. 180 cases produced. $26 per bottle , only a couple cases available beyond futures commitment. "

-- Spring, 2008 newsletter

2005: "With a suave texture, and compared to the OMV above, less dark fruits, more stone fruit and earthiness, I am consistently amazed that this vineyard block is physically so close to the OMV blocks. Size (of barrels) may matter, but soil matters more! I used to age a proportion of Shale Terrace Zinfandels in 500L puncheons, but I find that the normal 228L barrels coupled with minimal racking allow perfectly good expression of the stone-fruit signature of this area as well. 220 cases produced. Current release price: $25 per bottle"

2004: "Like the OMV which grows in a clay-dominated soil, this small vineyard block performed well too. Bottled a few weeks earlier than the OMV above, this is my favorite vintage of this wine to date. Of course, the signature stone fruit character is there, but there is also white pepper, red raspberry, and background toastiness, all coming together as well. It suggests Pinot Noir in many ways, especially the texture, after several years. 220 cases produced. We budgeted most for the futures offering last August preferring to have a reasonable 'cushion' of extras. But if I don't break a lot of bottles at the (currently temperamental) labeling machine just before the open house, we will have some available for sale ($24). This and any other limited wines will be noted on the order form just so you know they may sell out quickly. No other quantity limits seem to make sense this time."

2003: "This started out life more like the darker-fruited OMV. At about 12 months in barrel, it settled into the 'tell-shale' nectarine/stone fruit aroma more decisively than any past vintage. While lower in acidity than the OMV, it has a mineral, nearly chalky note that seems to come only from this small vineyard area. 225 cases produced."

-- Spring, 2005 newsletter

2002: "Due to a slightly larger yield (10%) we made slightly more of this wine than the past few vintages. After the futures offering, we also decided to allocate only enough of this for existing 'Shale' restaurant accounts, so we actually have a little to sell at this time. Its high-toned aromatics of stone fruits, dried herbs and its 'minerality' define and separate it from the OMV bottling. 230 cases produced. Release price: $24 per bottle, 6 bottle limit."

-- Spring, 2004 newsletter

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Zinfandoodle: My Uncle Mario used to tease me about my teenage efforts of making Zinfandel, calling it “Zinfandoodle”. This multi-vintage wine, while nothing to poke fun at, should satisfy most Zinfandel cravings without soaking the wallet enough to dampen one’s sense of humor.

Zinfandoodle version 4.5: This is a new non-vintage Zinfandel bottling from vintages 2004 and 2005 that did not fit perfectly into the 'Old & Mature Vines' bottling. We did this in 2005 with 'leftovers' from the 2002/2003 vintage when we first introduced Zinfandoodle. I really wanted to call this new release 'Zindows 4.5' but did not think Microsoft would find the same humor in it as me (Bill, give a call when you have time). Actually, if you were to blend the OMV and Shale Terrace Zinfandels, you would get something that has both ripe black fruit as well as that stone fruit thing…but the textures would clash. Zinfandoodle has these elements, but without the clash. Go figure. Local restaurants were anxious to get this on their lists this spring, so we let them have some early. It is going fast, so we felt we had better offer this here in case that accelerates. Very smooth and inviting, it is terribly under priced, but what can you do with a non-vintage wine that is not Champagne or Port? 400 cases produced. $18 per bottle.

-- Autumn, 2007 newsletter

Non-Vintage: "What? No, don't look for your (reading) glasses. This is a blend of some small parts of the Scherrer Zinfandel Vineyard that did not fit perfectly into the Old & Mature Vines blends in the last two years. I took these leftovers from the 2002 and 2003 vintages, and just kept them in barrel until I found an appropriate home for them. As it turned out, mixing the two vintages together brought balance and harmony in a different register than our typical Zinfandel. Heck, if the top Champagne producers routinely do this, why not think outside the 'vintage box' with California Zinfandel?

"This fun wine reminds me of an Italian Barbera-based wine aged in a good proportion of new French oak more than a CA Zinfandel. While it has a great, acidity-based structure (making it a great pizza wine), it is not intended to age forever. It is intended to be something to share liberally with good friends and food (and fun), just like uncle Mario and aunt L'Vere did for their many years together. 250 cases produced. Introductory price: $16 per 750 mL. Use your noodle, try the 'doodle.' "

-- Library Tasting, 2005 newsletter
 

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