ZAPs 12^TH ANNUAL ZINFANDEL TASTING

Thousands of Zinfandel zealots converged on the Festival and Herbst Pavilions at Fort Mason, San Francisco January 25, 2003 for the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) 12th annual tasting, the largest to date. There are 6500 advocates and 310 producers who are members of ZAP. The sky was blue and the weather was downright warm! The Zinners partook in the tasting of multi-vintage selections from about 300 wineries. Although many wines were from the 2000 vintage, some producers brought samples of 1998, 1999 and 2001.

2001 VINTAGE

Since there was no way I could taste 600+ wines, I concentrated my efforts on the 2001 vintage. In summary, the 2001 Zinfandel vintage is excellent to outstanding, and definitely better than 2000, which I would rate as very good. Most of the wines will not be available until summer or fall 2003, at which time a more definite accounting can be made. If a wine is not listed below, I either didn’t taste it or found it to be lacking. My goal is to give an introduction to the vintage through tasting select wines. It’s up to you to determine your personal favorites. Two self-evident truths for Zinfandel are: (1) Most don’t age well, so consume them within their first 4 years of life while they are deliciously fresh, and (2) Old Vine doesn’t necessarily translate into quality wine, although they will generally cost more. Many were barrel samples, and, hence, not quite finished. What follows is an alphabetical listing by producer with appellation, score (range), cost, and telephone number.

2000 Aida Vienyard (Barrel Sample), Napa Valley, 90-92, $60?, 707-963-9292. One of best 2000s I've tasted.

2001 Brown Estates Vineyard, Napa Valley, 90-93, $32, 707-963-2435. Needs time to equilibrate. Could be a good one.

2001 De Loach Vineyards, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, 88-90, $20, 707-526-9111. Tastes good, but a little on the light side.

2001 Gallo of Sonoma (Barrel Sample), Frei Ranch Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley,92-95, $20, 707-431-5678. Very big and dark. One of best I tasted and a real bargain. Needs time.

2001 Hartford Family Wines, Russian River Valley, Dark, big and rich. Wait.

2001 Hartford Family Wines, Highwire Vineyard, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, 90-92+, $34, 707-887-1756. A big wine, but more tannic that bottling above. Needs time to equilibrate.

2001 Hartford Family Wines, Fannuchi-Wood,Russian River Valley, Sonoma, 88-90, $34, 707-887-1756. Not as good as the other two Hartford's.

2001 Hendry Block 7 (Barrel Sample), Napa, 86-90, $TBD, 707-226-8320. What happened? This is always one of my favorites! Light color, tastes good, but not a blockbuster!

2001 Mayo Family Winery, Ricci Vineyard, Russian River Valley, $28, 88-90, 707-833-3300. Very good, but lacks finish. Will it develop?

2001 Mayo Family Winery Reserve, Ricci Vineyard, Russian River Valley, $38, 90-93, 707-833-3300. More fruit and better finish than the regular bottling.

2001 Nadeau Family Vintners, Critical Mass, Paso Robles, 86-92?, $25, 805-239-3574. Very jamy fruit! Not sure? Wait one year and taste again. Just released.

2001 Neyers Vineyards, Napa Valley, 88-90, $32, 707-963-8840. Good, but not spectacular. Just released.

2001 Outpost Estate Wines (Barrel Sample), Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, 92-96, $40, 707-965-1718. Big wine with great potential. Needs to resolve/equilibrate.

2001 Quivira Estate Vineyards & Winery, Anderson Ranch, Dry Creek Valley, 90-93, $35, 707-431-8333. Semi-big. Nice juice. Small pour impeded evaluation!

2001 Ravenswood (Barrel Sample), Big River, Alexander Valley, 90-92+, $35, 707-938-1960. Good concentration and finish. Excellent potential. Better than Monte Rosso and Teldeschi, which exhibit moderate concentration and harsher tannins.

2001 Ridge Vineyards (Tank Sample), Lytton Springs, Dry Creek Valley, 90-92+?, $30, 408-867-3233. Perennially, one of the best Zins produced. This one needs time to equilibrate fruit and tannins. Always a ages better than most Zins. Definitely on try again list.

Turley Wine Cellars, Hayne Vineyard, Napa Valley, 93-97, $TBD, 707-963-0940. Big and slightly tannic. Needs time. A consistently awesome wine!

Thank you ZAP for yet another well-orchestrated, monster tasting. For those of you who haven’t heard of ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers), it is "…a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to advance the public’s knowledge of, and appreciation for Zinfandel, and its unique place in American culture and history." Grady Wann is President and Rebecca Robinson is Executive Director and can be reached at zaprr@oro.net. Web site. zinfandel.org.

January 31, 2003

Contact: alchemist@wineperspective.com