Thomas Cottrell is Bellevue Club’s contributing wine columnist and the owner of La Cantina Wine Merchants.
If it’s February it must be cold. Of course, it may not be as cold and snowy while you read this as it was back in December, but who’s counting? Whatever the month, when the weather turns cold I think seriously about the red wines that do the best job of keeping us warm, by the fireplace if possible. One of the very best wines for keeping anyone warm is Zinfandel, the most quintessential of American wines. I’m not referencing the ubiquitous pink, sweet stuff labeled White Zinfandel. I’m talking about the original Zin, the
full-bodied, full-blooded red that formed the vast majority of California’s red wines for the first 100 years of the American wine industry. Much of it was called California Burgundy or Mountain Red or something similar, and in my college days, it was the wine of choice. But there was always a mystery surrounding the grape. It was clearly not a native American variety (vitis labrusca), but no one could figure out what sort of European grape (vitis vinifera) it might be. It matched nothing recognized as being French, Italian or Spanish. So what was it, and where did it come from?
A bit of California history is needed to unravel the mystery. Back in the middle of the 19th century, an adventurer by the name Agoston Haraszthy owned approximately 5,000 acres in Sonoma and decided to travel to Europe to bring back grape cuttings from the famous wine regions and estates. He thought the California state assembly would pay for his venture. They never did, so he distributed the 100,000 cuttings of 350 varieties throughout California at his own expense. But the count—Haraszthy was sometimes referred to as a Hungarian count—was better at obtaining the cuttings than labeling their sources and varieties, hence the mystery.
There is also evidence that Zinfandel cuttings may have been imported to the east coast of America as early as the 1820s, and then transferred to California. No one knows where the name Zinfandel comes from. Current DNA research tells us that there are two origins of the grape: the Primitivo of southern Italy, especially Puglia; and Crljenak Kaštelanski, a grape from the Dalmation Coast of Croatia. The reality is that the two grapes are likely identical. At the end of the day, the important thing is that Zinfandel is delicious, dark, ripe, full and, most importantly, warming. I normally object to wines with high alcohol, but Zin, when done well, is pleasing even with its weight of 15 percent or more. If you want to keep warm this month, try some of these delicious Zinfandels.
2006 Ridge Zinfandel “Three Valleys” (Sonoma County, $22): 80 percent Zin, blended with Petite Sirah, Carignane and Grenache. Most of this wine is from younger vines of the famous Lytton Estate, and the remainder of the grapes comes from Alexander Valley and the Russian River. Ridge is one of the best, and most consistent, of Zin producers. Lush and rich, yet elegant, this shows the berry and spice of classic Zinfandel. 2006 Bogle Zinfandel “Old Vine Cuvee” (California, $12): Drawn from vineyards in Lodi and Amador, averaging 60 years of age, which is always a good sign for Zin. Look for flavors of chocolate, tobacco, sweet spice and ripe berries. Oh, and it’s a great value. 2003 DeLoach Zinfandel “OFS” (Russian River Valley, $23): OFS is their designation for Reserve—their very best. With a combination of stainless steel-fermented and French oak-aged wines, you’ll find raspberry fruit, exotic spices and a touch of pepper. Again, the complexity and density of old vines shows. 2006 Seghesio Zinfandel “Home Ranch” (Alexander Valley, $36): Talk about old vines—this vineyard was planted in 1895, and it shows. You’ll find blackberry, spice and anise in the nose and on the palate, along with serious concentration and very dark color. It’s an impressive wine from a fine old family winery. Three bottles of each will make a case and keep you warm until spring thaw. Enjoy!
