Sonoma's St Francis Winery has always been a favorite of mine. Longer ago than I care to recall, my old friend, Jim, introduced me to St Francis Merlot. Merlot is a traditional Bordeaux blending grape that original St Francis winemaker, Tom Mackey.....
.....was renowned for elevating both the quality and style of Sonoma Merlot as an ultra-premium, stand-alone varietal.
I'm gonna tell you what.......Miles wasn't talking about St Francis Merlot.
Moving right along to the OVZ. The 2013 Old Vines Zinfandel needs just a bit of air to lose the astringency that is apparent at first sip. Give it a swirl in your glass, let it breath for just a few moments and you'll find that it begins to open up.
Winemaker's Notes:
A classic old vine Zinfandel, this wine pays tribute to its heritage with great structure, concentrated flavor and a long, luscious finish. Aromas of boysenberry, clove and cinnamon are followed by flavors of mixed berries, red licorice, tobacco leaf and mulling spices.
I'm not really getting a sense of mulling spices, but yes, classic, good structure, smooth, with a long, rich finish. Best of all, the wine is not loaded up with oak. Quite often, especially with red Zinfandel, oak is used to paper over a wine's shortcomings. Be advised that an over-oaked wine is something that TWC cannot abide. St Francis Old Vine Zin is on the short list of Mrs TWC's favorite wines. That's an important consideration, Gentle Reader. St Francis is a solid Zin and moderately priced in the $14.00-$22.00 range.
The St Francis OVZ is ideal for summer grilling fare. Try it with shish kaeob, spicy St Louis ribs, or pepper steak.
A few things about old Zinfandel vines.
Thank the good Lord that Beringer pretty much invented White Zinfandel, which was widely popular in the late 1970's and 1980's, replacing Boone's Farm and Tyrolia as the wine of choice for the Me Generation. This was the interim phase before the hippies-turned-yuppies graduated to, wait for it......Merlot. Circle of Life. Good Lord, even my own mother was a fan of White Zin. That American passion for sweet pink wine saved a lot of vineyards from utter destruction.
Old Zinfandel vines, which are typically fifty to seventy-five years old, produce a much lower yield than younger vines. The grapes are smaller but the flavors are more intense, concentrated, and complex.
Zinfandel grapes originated in Croatia and may well be the world's oldest wine grape.
Bonus:
Mulling spices are used to make hot apple cider, mulled wine, and wassail. Typically, mulling spices consist of various spices including cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. Sometimes star anise and cardamom are tossed in for good measure. The mix generally includes dried raisins, apples, and orange rind. I ain't much for apple cider, mulled wine, or wassail, but others enjoy it, especially during the holidays.
As Ever,