This sudden surge into these stormy, gloomy winter-like weather patterns has precipitated a desire to start thinking and drinking big, chewy, hearty red wines. And, as the “boo” holiday comes hauntingly closer on the calendar, (amazing as that seems) those big reds annually morph into “monster reds.”
These frighteningly yummy wines lurk about the web-infested cellar (or just at your local specialty wine shop) just dying to escape their corked confines and add a little warm and fuzzy feeling to our impending, seemingly perpetual grayness.
It has become a bit of a tradition at this uncorked dork’s abode over the years to embrace this autumnal opportunity to seek out the most devilishly delicious, blood-red and/or inky-black fermented grape juice available at a “price” that won’t have Vincent Price scowling in his grave.
There has been one common-denominator red wine varietal that usually seems to leap out of the pack during this annual quest for the best. American zinfandel brings to the costume party all the necessary components to be well-suited for monster red status.
This wine potentially has enormous fruit, peppery spice, max extraction, relative affordability, and, yes, elevated alcohol, which all adds to many possibilities to win with zin. I recently orchestrated a “zinfest” wine event that unearthed a few monstrously delicious, soul-soothing and winter-warming wines that would make any ghoul or goblin scurry for a corkscrew.
An interesting discovery came from this foray into zindom. A couple of the runaway stars were not from zinfandel’s indigenous appellation of California, but from our own Washington.
In the immortal words of a pacifist zin lover, “It’s far better to zin and win than to cast any stones.” Here’s a few zins that just may be monstrous enough to turn what appears to be many impending months of dreary into something a wee bit more cheery.
Easton 2005 Amador County Zinfandel $15
Think wild mountain blackberry pie straight out of the oven. Big, sumptuous and juicy with complex spicy aromas and a rich, warm mouth feel. This wine is scary-good for the money.
Thurston Wolfe 2005 Howling Wolfe Zinfandel $18
This is the 5th vintage of zinfandel from one of Washington State’s pioneer wineries and winemakers, Wade Wolfe. The fruit is sourced from Zephyr Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills, and is jam packed with ultra-ripe red berry flavors and hints of bittersweet chocolate.
Wente 2005 Smith Bench Livermore Valley Zinfandel $20
Wente is the oldest family owned and continuously operated winery in California, and it’s safe to say they can do a zin. This is a bold offering that has dried cranberry, vanilla bean and raspberry jam aromas and flavors.
Forgeron 2004 Columbia Valley Zinfandel $30
Since 2001 Forgeron has been producing some outrageously delicious wines under the artful hand of Marie-Eve Gilla. The fact that Gilla is a classically trained winemaker from the Burgundy region of France did nothing to detour her from producing a truly world-class American zinfandel. This seductive wine is intoxicating on many levels with aromas and flavors of blueberries, licorice, brown sugar, mocha and white pepper.
Maryhill 2004 Proprietor’s Reserve Columbia Valley Zinfandel $30
Huge is an understatement with this true to form “monster red.” A fruit bomb at one point and then a massively complex, spicy, racy wine the next. It’s just an adventure in the glass as it roars at you with a cinnamon, clove, plum and blackberry nose and rounds the corner on the palate with chocolate-covered cherries dusted with allspice.
JC Cellars 2005 “Arrowhead Mountain Vineyard” Zinfandel $40
An inky back wine, this is classic Jeff Cohn (JC Cellars) juice with plenty of analogies, such as a review published in Wine Spectator that accompanied a big rating: “A no-holds-barred Zinfandel. Dense and intense wine, with super ripe blueberry, plum and smoky, meaty aromas leading to potent blackberry liqueur, espresso and cracked pepper flavors that build toward the finish.”
Or, how about a review via Mr. Cohn himself, “Anisette, black currants, and black licorice stick all wrapped into one. Briery notes of roasted herbs de Provence in a cherry-raspberry liqueur chocolate that is sprinkled with freshly cracked red and black pepper flow with an unending abandonment. Deep in color, almost black as the abyss. An intensity that is so pure and unyielding that each smell, each taste, sets your mind on a journey of unequalled proportions.”
Now we’re talking monster rhetoric to accompany a monster wine.
Jeff Wicklund can be reached at 425-737-2600, 360-756-0422 or wick@purplesmilewines.com.
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