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Posted by Alan Boehmer Jun 15, 2006 |
Just a decade or so ago Zinfandel remained California's most widely planted wine grape. This has been true from the inception of the wine industry in California and Zinfandel has been the base wine for most of California's inexpensive proprietary blends, such as Gallo's Hearty Burgundy.
Zinfandel was planted everywhere in California: Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa, Sierra Foothills, Paso Robles, and even in Cucamonga in Los Angeles County. Those latter vineyards still exist and produce splendid fruit despite the horrible air pollution of the region (California's worst).
Only within the past decade or so have vintners begun to develop specific styles with their Zinfandels. Elegant and complex styles are fairly uncommon still, but may be found in Zins from cooler regions such as Napa and portions of Sonoma County. But it must be said that most of Sonoma County's most celebrated (and highly rated) Zins are from very warm inland regions such as Dry Creek.
For an example of a balanced, restrained, elegantly styled Zinfandel, try the lovely Scherrer Vineyard Zinfandel from Greenwood Ridge in Sonoma's Anderson Valley. It's alcohol level is 13.8%.
At the other end of the spectrum are the typical Zinfandels from Paso Robles's Westside vineyards and boutique wineries. These are monster wines intended to overwhelm your palate with richness and explosive fruit. See our article Discover Paso Robles for suggestions.
You can find over two hundred articles in our California Wine archive.