The Zins of our Fathers
I write a lot about Zinfandel. Not only because I like to drink it, but because I love the stupid puns I get to make. What I haven't written a lot about is older Zin, and there is a reason for that. I haven't had too many I liked.
Zinfandel's charm, for me, is in it's big fruity flavors. That fruity style comes at cost in regard to balance. Tannin, in particular, is notably missing in most Zinfandels. Without tannin, a wine doesn't go through as many changes as it ages. Mostly the fruit just fades, and in the case of Zinfandel, the fruit is everything.
A very old wine, or one that doesn't age well ends up thin and at best a taste like leather (from those aged tannins) and at worst taste like steely water (from whatever acidity is left). Some people seem to love these flavors, for me they mean the wine is over the hill because all of the fruit is gone.
Most of the 10 year old Zins I have tasted were completely gone. Part of this may be due to the era, the 80s and early 90s that the wines were made. This was before the more recent trend of even fruitier, and more alcoholic, Zins. Look for another report in a decade or so.
One of my favorite Zins, several decades back, was the Ridge Howell Mountain. I recently pulled my last bottle of the 1988 from my cellar and I was surprised by it. It was not fruity, and it was not great, but it was better than I expected. It had that leathery taste I mentioned, which is better than the steely water flavor I was expecting. There is no question that this wine was too old now, but only just. It gave me hope for aging Zins again.
I also pulled a 1987 Cline Late Harvest Zinfandel from my cellar, and it was a completely different story. With 14% alcohol and 10% residual sugar, this wine had things going for it that dry Zins don't. Instead of drying up and tasting like a little leather, at best, this wine was fruity, rich and wonderful. It had lost its port like sweetness it had in youth, and had taken on a more complex style. It is this improvement that I look for in wine I age. If it isn't getting better, it is probably getting worse.
I have met plenty of Zin lovers who like their Zinfandels with a bit of time on them. For the most part I don't. I like my Zins to be full of fruit, and youthful. Late harvest Zin affords the best of both worlds. Aging gracefully, to become more complex, rather than a shadow of its former self, and for me, that is what it is all about.
Thanksgiving is Zin's favorite meal, so stock up, and if you find a little late harvest Zin, pick up a few bottles, for now, and the future.
Zinfandel's charm, for me, is in it's big fruity flavors. That fruity style comes at cost in regard to balance. Tannin, in particular, is notably missing in most Zinfandels. Without tannin, a wine doesn't go through as many changes as it ages. Mostly the fruit just fades, and in the case of Zinfandel, the fruit is everything.
A very old wine, or one that doesn't age well ends up thin and at best a taste like leather (from those aged tannins) and at worst taste like steely water (from whatever acidity is left). Some people seem to love these flavors, for me they mean the wine is over the hill because all of the fruit is gone.
Most of the 10 year old Zins I have tasted were completely gone. Part of this may be due to the era, the 80s and early 90s that the wines were made. This was before the more recent trend of even fruitier, and more alcoholic, Zins. Look for another report in a decade or so.
One of my favorite Zins, several decades back, was the Ridge Howell Mountain. I recently pulled my last bottle of the 1988 from my cellar and I was surprised by it. It was not fruity, and it was not great, but it was better than I expected. It had that leathery taste I mentioned, which is better than the steely water flavor I was expecting. There is no question that this wine was too old now, but only just. It gave me hope for aging Zins again.
I also pulled a 1987 Cline Late Harvest Zinfandel from my cellar, and it was a completely different story. With 14% alcohol and 10% residual sugar, this wine had things going for it that dry Zins don't. Instead of drying up and tasting like a little leather, at best, this wine was fruity, rich and wonderful. It had lost its port like sweetness it had in youth, and had taken on a more complex style. It is this improvement that I look for in wine I age. If it isn't getting better, it is probably getting worse.
I have met plenty of Zin lovers who like their Zinfandels with a bit of time on them. For the most part I don't. I like my Zins to be full of fruit, and youthful. Late harvest Zin affords the best of both worlds. Aging gracefully, to become more complex, rather than a shadow of its former self, and for me, that is what it is all about.
Thanksgiving is Zin's favorite meal, so stock up, and if you find a little late harvest Zin, pick up a few bottles, for now, and the future.
