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Wine Review: Zinfandel as American as apple pie

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Popular customs dictate that white and rose wines rule warm-weather seasons. Red wines, however, also have their place when the temperature is high, and that place is accompanying the heaviest cuts of meat and almost anything off the grill.

My personal favorite wine variety for grilled or barbecue foods is the very American red zinfandel.

For years, the true birthplace of the zinfandel had been discussed and debated, but not until recently, by the use of DNA analysis, has its true parentage been determined as the plavac mali grape native to Croatia.

There is a problem, however, and it's a big one. Nowhere in the world does the wine we call zinfandel produce such interesting, dynamic and novel wines except when the grapes are grown right here in the USA. This fact alone will allow me to declare that, like all of the children of immigrants born in this country past and present, the zinfandel is now and forevermore to be considered an American grape and an honored resident of California. Zinfandel wine is as American as apple pie, pizza, spaghetti, sushi, tacos and burritos. All of them had their origins in other nations but over many years have become American favorites.

There is still more to the story of zinfandel. At one time, the variety was considered only fit to be used to make cheap sweet pink wines, or during Prohibition, when boxcar loads were shipped to the East Coast for home winemakers, which was still legal.

Some genius, and I do not know their name, decided to treat the zinfandel in the same manner as the lofty cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir. The result was the modern red zinfandel we have today, a style that stands head and shoulders among the world's top wines.

Head High 2021 Sonoma County Zinfandel ($28)
This wine displays one of the most inviting aromas of any zinfandel that I have sampled in a while. A true child of Sonoma County, the High Head Zinfandel was made from grapes that were carefully sought out from vineyards throughout the region. It captures the capabilities of a zinfandel: flavorful and rich. This medium-bodied zinfandel exhibits black cherry, spice and vanilla oak flavors and aromas that finish with delightful peppery notes. These notes dance on the palate for a long time.

Gary Farrell 2018 Grist Vineyard Zinfandel ($50)
After several years of drought, 2018 was a picture-perfect growing year for zinfandel grapes in the Dry Creek Valley. A long, moderate growing season allowed the grapes to stay on the vine longer and develop an incredible concentration and depth of flavor. What resulted is a wine that incorporates the flavors and aromas found in all red wines. The dominant flavors are boysenberry, cranberry, cherry and raspberry. Surrounding the raspberry are the flavors of black cherry and blackcurrants. There also is a hint of oak to add further interest and complexity along with just the right amount of tannin, making sure that the wine will age well over the next few years.

Dry Creek Valley 2019 Somers Ranch Zinfandel ($44)
It appears that Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley is the “in” place to grow quality zinfandel wine grapes. This wine will prove the truth of that statement without any doubt. The Somers Ranch Zinfandel has been made from 20-year-old vines, and this wine explores the depth and intricacies of the variety. The dominant flavors are boysenberry, cranberry, cherry and raspberry, which are there in abundance. There also is the red wine's telltale aroma and flavor of blackcurrants. The aroma is rich with black cherry, blackberry and the zinfandel-signature raspberry ending in a suggestion of chocolate and spice. True to the tradition at Dry Creek Valley Vineyards, this wine is well made and, in my opinion, an exceptional representative of the possibilities of a zinfandel wine.

Wine columnist Bennet Bodenstein can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.

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