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 thought 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.

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A trio of California chardonnays

I’ve been sampling California chardonnays in recent days with an eye, as always, toward well-balanced wines that are not infused too heavily with oak and that are not overbearing in style. Three are worth considering.

Freemark Abbey’s well-focused 2008 Napa Valley Chardonnay is an excellent value at $22. It opens with a bit of citrus, which leads to notes of ripe melon, vanilla and butterscotch, with all the elements nicely integrated in a bright, refreshing style. With relatively modest alcohol of 14.1 percent,  the wine   was a perfect match with grey sole fillets roasted with Dijon mustard and a splash of vermouth.

Sbragia Family Vineyards’ 2007 Home Ranch Chardonnay from the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County is nuanced and balanced, quite Burgundian in character with pear and pink grapefruit tastes and judicious use of oak that leaves a subtle vanilla note on the finish. An elegant and sophisticated chardonnay. Another excellent buy at $26.

For a slightly richer style, consider another Sonoma wine, Rochioli Vineyards’ 2008 Russian River Valley Chardonnay. This highly enjoyable wine, with a suggested price of $50, shows pear, a considerable note of vanilla extract, some herbs and minerals and a touch of orange on the finish. All three of these wines were effortless to drink and matched well with foods, from fish to pan-seared pork chops to roast chicken. And remember, to enjoy their subtleties, don’t drink them too cold. (Wines received as press samples.)

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A singular sauvignon blanc

One of the more unusual California whites I’ve tasted recently comes from Sbragia Family Vineyards – the 2008 “Home Ranch” Sauvignon Blanc from the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County. This is a singular sauvignon, notable for its rich complexity combined with refreshing acidity and minerality and an attractive $20 suggested price.

That complexity includes loads of tropical fruit and notes of honey and butterscotch, orange, white flowers, ginger and even a touch of spearmint, which make it a wine to sip and savor rather than quaff. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in three-year-old oak barrels, which it give it a subtle wood underlay but none of the cream or vanilla of new oak.

The bottle is sealed, by the way, with a “Vino-Seal” glass closure, which, for me, is yet another welcome alternative to cork beyond screw caps and plastic closures that are now widely in use.  More information at Sbragia’s Web site. (Wine received as a press sample.)

Wine and chili (and football)

I have a friend who is a Minnesota Vikings fan, or, more precisely, a Bret Favre fan. My friend is from Wisconsin and rooted for the 40-year-old quarterback for many years when he played for Green Bay. That’s why this year, with Favre leading Minnesota to the doorstep of the Super Bowl, my friend is a Vikings fan. In any event, I, too, enjoy football in these exciting last weeks of the season. So when my friend invited me to watch the Vikings against the Giants, I didn’t hesitate. It didn’t hurt that the invitation came with the promise of homemade chicken chili, and that, of course, would give me the chance to bring along a terrific wine. But which wine?

It turned out my choice was just about unbeatable as we sipped Bradford Mountain’s superb 2005 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, which is made from organically grown grapes. Like many zins, this one is relatively high in alcohol, at 14.6 percent. But unlike some, it’s a model of balance with refreshing acids that keep it from being overpowered by robust foods. It was a great complement to the delicious chili with its sweet and spicy tomato base (thanks again to my friend’s wife).

As the Vikings handed the Giants a season-ending 44-7 defeat, the wine was the real winner with its concentrated blackberry and blueberry fruit, mocha, herbs and smooth but solid tannic structure. It would be nice to repeat it all with the Vikings and the Jets in the Super Bowl. I know who I’ll be rooting for. The wine has a suggested price of $28 and 1,950 cases were produced. More information at Bradford Mountain’s  Web site.  (Wine received as a press sample.)