TN: 2001 Nalle Zinfandel

[Redwinger]

2001 Nalle Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley

A case of this recently arrived at Chez ‘Winger in felonious Indiana via the grape juice underground railroad, so I figured it was the perfect match for the menu of grilled chicken to be enjoyed out on the deck on a balmy Saturday evening. What a great call!!

The nose is a bit reticent at first, but the bright refreshing strawberry/raspberry fruit eventually emerges. Good solid finish with enough spice and pepper to make it interesting. The tannins/acids lead me to believe this is a Zin that will last a few years in the cellar. Excellent balance, and most importantly, this is a food-friendly wine which I can’t say very often about the style of Zinfandel that seems to be in vogue lately.

I’ve only had a few small pours of Nalle at a couple of off-line tastings and frankly it always seemed to get lost in the shuffle of the monster wines that seem to show well and dominate these types of events. This is clearly an elegant, perhaps feminine, style that really shows its’ best when savored over the course of a evening with food.

If you like Rocket Fuel© Zin with gobs of extracted, ripe, jammy, fruit with lots of backend/nose-hair searing heat generated by alcohol levels ~16%+, then do yourself a favor and avoid this wine. You will hate it.

[Jean Brislance]

I’ve only had a few small pours of Nalle at a couple of off-line tastings and frankly it always seemed to get lost in the shuffle of the monster wines that seem to show well and dominate these types of events. This is clearly an elegant, perhaps feminine, style that really shows its’ best when savored over the course of a evening with food.

I haven't had a Nalle Zin since the '99 vintage, but your remarks are right on as far as the style is concerned. I remember the '99 being a very food-friendly wine, and not at all like the monster Zins.

Thanks for the note,

Jean

[Rebel Rose]

. . . this is a food-friendly wine which I can’t say very often about the style of Zinfandel that seems to be in vogue lately.

Guilty as charged. We make a couple of huge zins, but we also produce some gentler, spicier, food-friendly styles, including a brick-red old vine zin from Benito Dusi's 80-year-old vines. Your comment has been haunting me because it's so typical that zin releases from our local old vine vineyards like Dusi, Martinelli, and Bianchi are either subsumed into larger productions, or are very tiny productions that cannot be distributed, or shipped to felonious states such as yours.

Since zinfandel clusters ripen unevenly, it's become an industry standard to pick later, ensuring that the pips will be toasty, since green seeds make for harshly astringent wines. It takes an exceptional zin vine to produce a lighter, yet full-flavored and balanced wine. Oh well--many people love the big zins, and for those looking for more food friendly wines, I recommend Pinot Noir and Sangiovese. I don't agree at all with the Wine Spectator that California Sangio is a failed experiment. In fact, I am so passionate about it that it's the only wine I personally produce. (After all, we can't let the in-house winemaker think he's the only one who can do this!)

[Craig Camp]

...Okay - I have to ask. Which California sangiovese wines would you describe as successful - and how do you define that success?

If you define that success by attaining at least some of the complexity you can find in the best Italian examples (Riecine for example) I would say that sangiovese in California has been an total failure. Sure there are some pleasant wines, but nothing that really makes you sit back and go wow - and they cost more than many better Italian bottlings.

[rich]

...Okay - I have to ask. Which California sangiovese wines would you describe as successful - and how do you define that success?

If you define that success by attaining at least some of the complexity you can find in the best Italian examples (Riecine for example) I would say that sangiovese in California has been an total failure. Sure there are some pleasant wines, but nothing that really makes you sit back and go wow - and they cost more than many better Italian bottlings.

The best California Sangiovese I ever had was the '99 Atlas Peak, but it doesn't match up well to its Italian cousins.

I fall in the middle. I don't think it's been a total failure, I think the Californians have created a different style, much like Pinot Noir. The Italians are more complex, the Cailfornians are simple and pleasant.

I toally agree with you about the price - absolutlely silly.

[Rebel Rose]

...Okay - I have to ask. Which California sangiovese wines would you describe as successful - and how do you define that success?

I agree that to date much California Sangiovese has been too light and overpriced, but (aside from prices, sigh) I think the tide is just starting to turn. I look for depth of flavor and complexity in this varietal as in others, although I would not necessarily look for the same flavor profile. After all, I'm a complex woman, but I don't dress like a Frenchwoman, and I don't cook Italian!

I think it's too early to write Sangiovese off as a "failed experiment" because in talking with growers, I'm hearing that until recently they have tried to crop Sangio like Pinot Noir or Cabernet, when in fact it responds positively to a much warmer climate that Pinot, but cannot be trellised or grown like Cabernet, mainly because it needs more leaf canopy to prevent sunburn.

Growers have not been interested in developing the grape much because of a lack of grass-roots interest, which in turn affects winery sales, which in turn affects distributor interest. That trend is just reversing now. Tasting room customers who couldn't pronounce it a few years ago now ask for it and love it. Americans are just starting to enjoy a variety of wine flavors and are letting go of the concept that everything should look and taste like Cab. Except for maybe Mr. Laube. (Was that a dig? Ooh, sorry.)

I've had good luck with a local eastside vineyard with Los Osos soils working with a stress-irrigated Enrico Prati clone, a slow-maturing rootstock bred and selected in Sicily and used in Italy, southern France, and North Africa. The wine falls between the tobacco-styles and the mint-styles of Riecine. It actually tastes much more like a classic Zin, than Italian sangiovese productions. I like it a lot and I feel complimented when local winemakers mistake it for Zin.

I agree with Rich on the Atlas Peak. I used to love Atlas and Seghesio, and in fact they are the ones who sparked my fascination with Sangio, but I haven't enjoyed the recent vintages as much. I recently ordered some more and plan to do a Cal Sangio tasting this summer. (Research!!)

(Edited to correct spelling booboo.)

Edited May 13, 2004 by DoverCanyon (log)

[Brad Ballinger]

Also, not a big fan of California Sangiovese wine, but the one I've thought has done an okay job is Bennessere. I may have misspelled that, but it's close. Staglin also does a decent job (the wine is called Stagliano), but it's only worth about half the price IMO.

[geo t.]

2001 Nalle Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley

The nose is a bit reticent at first, but the bright refreshing strawberry/raspberry fruit eventually emerges.  Good solid finish with enough spice and pepper to make it interesting.  The tannins/acids  lead me to believe this is a Zin that will last a few years in the cellar.  Excellent balance, and most importantly, this is a food-friendly wine which I can’t say very often about the style of Zinfandel that seems to be in vogue lately.

I’ve only had a few small pours of Nalle at a couple of off-line tastings and frankly it always seemed to get lost in the shuffle of the monster wines that seem to show well and dominate these types of events.  This is clearly an elegant, perhaps feminine, style that really shows its’ best when savored over the course of a evening with food. 

If you like Rocket Fuel© Zin with gobs of extracted, ripe, jammy, fruit with lots of backend/nose-hair searing heat generated by alcohol levels ~16%+, then do yourself a favor and avoid this wine.  You will hate it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winger, I am intensely jealous. Although a recent convert to Doug Nalle's Zins, I lust after them as much for what they are as for what they are not, and you describe that perfectly. I can only rue the fact that I haven't followed this one from even close to the beginning, unlike a certain online personality that shall remain nameless here.

Know what / who I mean?

}8^)>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edited May 17, 2004 by geo t. (log)

[Redwinger]

2001 Nalle Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley

The nose is a bit reticent at first, but the bright refreshing strawberry/raspberry fruit eventually emerges.  Good solid finish with enough spice and pepper to make it interesting.  The tannins/acids  lead me to believe this is a Zin that will last a few years in the cellar.  Excellent balance, and most importantly, this is a food-friendly wine which I can’t say very often about the style of Zinfandel that seems to be in vogue lately.

I’ve only had a few small pours of Nalle at a couple of off-line tastings and frankly it always seemed to get lost in the shuffle of the monster wines that seem to show well and dominate these types of events.  This is clearly an elegant, perhaps feminine, style that really shows its’ best when savored over the course of a evening with food. 

If you like Rocket Fuel© Zin with gobs of extracted, ripe, jammy, fruit with lots of backend/nose-hair searing heat generated by alcohol levels ~16%+, then do yourself a favor and avoid this wine.  You will hate it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winger, I am intensely jealous. Although a recent convert to Doug Nalle's Zins, I lust after them as much for what they are as for what they are not, and you describe that perfectly. I can only rue the fact that I haven't followed this one from even close to the beginning, unlike a certain online personality that shall remain nameless here.

Know what / who I mean?

}8^)>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I follow your drift. Check your PM.

Red