Talking Zinfandel:Tale of Two Vineyards
By Marisa D'Vari | November 6th, 2009 | Category: Wine reviews | No Comments »
What does this steak demand?
Zinfandel is a grape with attitude! Meaning that as soon as you take a sip, it's so powerful you are automatically thinking you need to pair it with food. Steak ... or any substantial protein such as roasted salmon or tuna, can do the trick.
I love Zinfandel for its rich, concentrated, very ripe flavors, and today (a fairly chill Manhattan night) I received two of the newest releases from Mazzocco. I invited a friend over with a very sensitive palate (I will call him the 'SuperTaster' from now on) to taste and and comment on the differences between the two wines, which are the same grape, the same producer, the same general region, but different vineyards.
So we are tasting the 2007 Zinfandel Maple, Dry Creek Valley ($40 retail) and the 2007 Zinfandel West Dry Creek ($32). The Maple vineyard is located on the Dry Creek Valley bench-land, with deep clay-loam that is rocky, well-drained, and moderately fertile. The West Dry Creek vineyard has unusually deep hillside topsoil consisting of alluvial and volcanic composite, which allows the vine a slow, even rate of maturity despite the warm southwestern exposure.
If you are just now getting into wine, it may seem strange that two wines from the same year, grape, region, and producer can be so different. They both sing "Zinfandel" yet the SuperTaster thought the complexity of the Maple vineyard to be the more expensive wine. And yes, Maple is bold, lush, exciting, and demanding. Yet I can see how the quieter yet still complex West Dry Creek can win fans.
Send to a Friend Twitter Facebook del.icio.us Digg StumbleUpon
Building Buzz: How To Reach And Impress Your Target Audience
Creating Characters: Let Them Whisper Their Secrets