9.24.2010

The Daily Sip: for a top California zinfandel, it’s all in the balance

I often have a visceral reaction to the prospect of very big wines, something akin to the thought of getting on the wrong side of the school bully in my youth. I usually try to avoid them. So the thoughquivirat of a zinfandel weighing in at 15.1 percent alcohol would normally give me pause, except if its from a property like Quivira Vineyards and Winery. Quivira makes exceptional, well-balanced  wines in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley, and the reds draw attention to themselves for that fact rather than for their alcoholic punch.  Quivira’s 2007 Wine Creek Ranch Zinfandel makes the point beautifully. Made from biodynamically grown grapes (the blend is 92 percent zinfandel and 8 percent petite sirah), this elegant wine shows concentrated blackberry and blueberry notes, mocha and dark chocolate, minerals and chewy tannins that persist on a very long finish.  Drinking well now, it will continue to develop over several years. For grilled meats , duck, game and ragus. The suggested price is $34, and 375 cases were made. Received as a press sample.

No comments:

Post a Comment