Getting Zapped. Zinfandel. The Experience.

Flights of older & newer Zins

Zinfandel is considered “America’s grape” because it was widely planted when the California wine industry began to grow in the mid to late 1850s, but it is not, however, a truly American grape; it’s an immigrant – it originally came from Europe. Though heavily planted in California, you see far too many iterations that are all jammy fruit and sweetness. Nothing wrong with that, but Zinfandel can also be elegant, structured, earthy and subtle; a wine of diversity breaking away from typical Cabernet/Merlot flavors, and nothing like Syrah at all. But most people’s perception is Zin as a pizza and burger wine. Oh, the horror. Yes, I’m a ZinFan. And any ZinFan should really attend the annual ZinEx - the Zinfandel Experience - in San Francisco, as I did in February 2017 to get a well rounded, truly authentic look (and taste) into how diverse and exceptional Zinfandel can be.

Dedicated Zinfandel fans

ZinEx is like most multi-day festivals; there are special “flight” tastings with older vintages (I had some 2002, 2004, 2007 vintages), winemaker dinners, an evening auction, and grand tasting. But what sets this apart is the near fanatical nature of Zinfandel fans. You don’t really get this from Cabernet or Pinot - sure there are die-hards – but Zinfandel excites a primal sense in wine lovers; there’s something nearly visceral, emotional and instinctual. During ZinEx there were events at the terrific One Market Restaurant (including some of the best calamari I’ve had outside of Crete), the Bentley Reserve (formerly the San Francisco Federal reserve bank) not to mention the Grand Tasting held at Pier 27 overlooking the San Francisco Bay, which saw more than 1,500 attendees. Over the course of that day, over 20,000 appetizers from 18 artisan purveyors and chefs were available – of which I had maybe five or six, which reminds me to eat more next year. Rounding out the afternoon were more than 600 different Zinfandels poured from California growing regions and appellations from diverse places including Mendocino, Redwood Valley, Lake County, Napa, Sonoma, El Dorado, Amador County, Shenandoah Valley, Calaveras County, Lodi, Contra Costa, Livermore, Paso Robles, and as far south as Cucamonga. So if you are addicted to Zinfandel, or if Zinfandel is still something of a mystery, a visit to ZinEx will open your mind and your palate to California’s First Grape, so do check it out. www.ZinfandelExperience.com

My Top Zinfandel Finds at ZinEx/2017

NV Lava Cap River Red (Zin blend), $18

2013 Steele Old Vine Mendocino County, $19

2014 The Federalist, Bourbon Barrel Aged, $25

2015 Day Zinfandel Sonoma Coast $30 

2014 Dashe Cellars Todd Brothers Old Vine, $35

Terra d‘Oro 10 Year Tawny Port, $50

2014 Miraflores Trilegato, $55

Old Poodle Dog Cabernet Sauvignon: Man’s Best Friend

Jasper and the Old Poodle

It’s only fitting that Boozehoundz should write about Old Poodle Dog 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Odd name? Well, as the story goes that a French restaurant in San Francisco during the gold rush days was called Le Poulet d’Or. Then, as now, many locals had a hard time pronouncing the name. Some began to call it simply Old Poodle Dog. So, there you have it. What is unleashed by OPD is a wine of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Merlot, Malbec and Petite Sirah, which translates to robust black cherry, blueberry, blackberry and sweet cedar, without being too hot, and what sets this apart are the back notes of tobacco and smoke, a great acidity, bright fruit, culminating in a deep and resonating Napa Cabernet – ultimately very pleasurable to drink. It’s ideally balanced - a spot on example of a terrific wine that actually will best other well known Napa Cabs but at a lesser price. Seriously, take this Poodle for a walk.

COHOWINES.com

ORIGIN: Napa, California

PRICE: $36/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 14.4%

BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE:  89 POINTS

Sticky Notes on the 2015 Wine Judging Season

As a wine writer (yes I know it seems to be a silly job, but wait…) I’m invited each year to also be a wine judge (…see, I told you). I’ve written about the ups and downs of wine judging before (go HERE). For 2015 I was at five wine judgings, all in California this time, and rather than detail why awards competition actually do matter as I’ve done previously I’m going to impress you with big ass numbers and witty comments. For example:

2,650 – Number of miles I drove to attend the competitions (I could have driven to my father-in-laws house in Pittsburgh instead…or not).

San Diego International Wine Competition

Run by veteran wine writer Robert Whitley this is one classy event.

70 – Number of volunteers who made this a seamless competition

150 – Number of wines I tasted in two days

32 – Number of years the event and its sister Wine & Roses Grand Tasting have raised boatloads of money for local charities

80 – Cost of the Best of Show Red: Benzinger 2012 Tribute

35 – Cost of the Best of Show White: Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay

San Francisco International Wine Competition

Run by Andy Blue and Tim McDonald, this is one of the largest wine competitions on Planet Earth.

301 – Number of wines I tasted over two days

91 - Wines tasted during the Sunday morning Sweepstakes round

4,902 – Number of wines entered into the competition

254 – Number of Double Gold Medals (a distinction given when a wine unanimously wins a gold medal by all the judges evaluating it)

-Best in Show Champagne: Collet 2004 Brut Millésime ($75)

-Best in Show Red: Jeff Rehnquist 2013 Paso Robles Syrah ($25)

Wilfred Wong in action

Critics Challenge Wine Competition, San Diego

Run by Robert Whitley (who runs the San Diego Competition), the cool thing about this smaller competition is that it is comprised only of wine writers and each time we award a medal we are required to write something about the wine and affix our name to it. I like this idea because there is no anonymity. You like a wine, you say exactly why. There is no “best of” as we individually award Platinum, Gold or Silver medals.

173 – Number of wines I tasted over a day and half

18 - Dollars to be exact, the cost of a Platinum Award I gave to Balletto Rose of Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley – incredible value!

18-Number of judges

Jonathan Mitchell of Ocean Prime in Beverly Hills and I hide from our scores.

Central Coast Wine Competition, Paso Robles

My backyard on the California Central Coast, this is a terrific intimate competition held as part of the California Mid State Fair. Best of Show wine was the Eberle Winery 2012 Barbera ($20)

1946 – The year the Fair first started

95 – Number of wines tasted in one day

9 – Time in the morning when I had to judge Zinfandel

666 – a numbered glass in my flight I called “Satan’s wine”

3,400 – Number of glasses of wine poured during the competition

1- Number of glasses that broke

At this competition the volunteers give out their own award!

El Dorado County Fair Wine Competition, Placerville

I absolutely adore the Sierra Foothills (the region is in several of my travel books) and what’s not to love about where gold was discovered!

62 – The number of wines I tasted and spit (sadly) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

7 – Hours it took me to drive to the competition

6.99 – Least expensive wine to win a Double Gold Award

75 – Most expensive wine to win a Double Gold Award

18 – Cost of the Best White: Oak Farm Vineyard 2014 Sauvignon Blanc       Mohr-Fry Ranches

18 – Also the cost of the Best Red: Terra d’ Oro Winery 2013 Petite Sirah

Doing my thang at San Francisco

Cruel & Unusual Comments

Many wines were exceptional (see the scores of these competition wines and seek them out), many were average and some were kinda awful. As always, I assembled a series of quotes from fellow judges (winemakers, sommeliers, wine writers, retailers, etc.) throughout the competitions about the worst of the worst…cause it’s fun.

“It’s like bottled Pierces disease.”

“It smells like a gerbil cage.”

“It’s like a punch in the face, then a punch in the stomach”

“This rose tastes like cherry Windex.”

A Pinot Noir flight of 12 wines was such a disappointment a wine writer said, “I’ve had better flights of fancy.”

One winemaker hated a wine so much he told me: “It’s a cross between Satan and apathy.”

A wickedly bad Sangiovese produced this comment: “It’s like I’m at my gym teacher’s house walking on his carpet in four day-old wet socks.”

Satan's Wine at the Central Coast Wine Competition

Dirty Little Habits

“Habit, noun, 1- a settled or regular tendency or practice, esp. one that is hard to give up.”

Located on the fifth floor of the Hotel Palomar near Union Square in San Francisco Dirty Habit has made its presence known. Shun the nun, this is a habit worthy of indulging in.

The energy level is high at this bar/tapas spot but it’s not populated with a hipster crowd, but more a cross section of diverse people, fanned out across three separate but adjoining spaces. There are two interior bar sections and an outdoor area with a narrow fire feature, set next to a water feature of three balls water spurting out the top, open to the sky. You’re here for booze and a good time and their cocktail program is solid. Cocktails run $11 - $13 reasonable by San Francisco standards. The Barrel Aged Old Fashioned uses Cana Brava rum, Velvet Falernum (a blend of Barbados rum, lime, cane juice), All Spice Dram (an allspice liqueur), and Angostura bitters, then it’s aged in rye casks for three months The result is a traditional old-fashioned that is rich and potent with strained but tangible viscosity and an earthy, complex smoothness. 

Charcuterie!

The Chupacabara is, for me, the standout: Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, blanco tequila, Aperol, grapefruit cordial, lime, and rimmed with Sal de Gusano - a Oaxacan salt blended with desiccated caterpillar. First off what you need to know is that Mezcal, which seems to freak out quite a few people, can be hit and miss. The Del Maguey is a single village Mezcal, an organic version which is pretty spectacular as I’ve had it before. The dusty rose colored belies this smooth, smoky, sensuous drink. There is both earth and smoky and a seamless quality to this cocktail which is just too damn good. The Lovable Trixter ($12) is that “I’m not into cocktails” cocktail due to its mild nature. Plymouth gin, lime, blackberry and sage is served over crushed ice in a ceramic glass. It has elements of fruit, but it’s not a fruity drink – it’s more like an adult punch that has been to charm school as everything is in place, balanced and reserved.

The stunningly good Octopus

As with any booze you need protein and here Dirty Habit also scores high. The Chicken Wings ($12) are six wings with jalapeño, sweet soy and chilie vinaigrette which are crispy, spicy and immensely addictive. The heat sneaks up on you, being shy at first and the crispness secures wonderfully moist chicken.

The Charcuterie plate ($16) includes duck pâté, chorizo, jamón, pancetta along with crackers and house made pickles. There is also a chicken liver mousse with a chorizo pralines topping it - a stunning concoction combining texture, heat and spice and this shows that something so simple can be so surprisingly and immensely flavorful but also satisfying. But I also loved the Steamed Buns ($6) with fried lamb belly, peanuts, vinegar, a savory with a bit of tart and earthy, viscous sauce with a crispy meat in contrast to the soft bun, and the Octopus ($16) with grilled eggplant, pine nuts and cherries is also a winner. The chili spice is mild at the first, but then makes its presence known; the delicate power of the charred fish is still evident with a nice textural bump from the pine nuts, and the chewy cherries which adds a hint of sweetness.

Bottom line? Get a new habit. Dirty Habit will do nicely. DIRTY HABIT