California Zinfandel Prime Regions

As we head into Thanksgiving week we are sampling a uniquely American grape; Zinfandel. There are several areas that excel with this grape, and many of them are in California where the grape originated on American soil. This grape like so many others arrived courtesy of grape growers and winemakers from the Old World. We last explored this grape in January of last year so it’s time to celebrate National Zinfandel Day, which was November 19.

Zinfandel Origins

DNA testing is not just devoted to human DNA as many things benefit from DNA analysis including plants. In many cases the only way to know for sure a plants origin is via DNA testing. Such was the case with Zinfandel, which in the late 1990s discovered Croatia as the origin of both Zinfandel and Primitivo, an Italian grape. Further refinements followed until the 2012 book Wine Grapes that lists 1,368 varieties included an entry detailing the search for Zinfandel’s origins. After years of research and DNA testing a single 90-year-old grape vine from the garden of an elderly lady in Split, Croatia, provided the evidence to show that Zinfandel was a Croatian grape that has been known as Tribidrag since at least the 15th century.

Cuttings of Zinfandel were brought to California during the 1850 Gold Rush and were soon making fine wines. It is possible J. W. Osborne may have made the first wine from Zinfandel in California. He planted Zinfandel at his Oak Knoll vineyard just north of Napa, and his wine was much praised in 1857. Planting of Zinfandel boomed soon after, and by the end of the 19th century it was the most widespread variety in California.

Prohibition all but killed Zinfandel and many vines were ripped out. The grape was subject to rot when transported long distances and was replaced with Alicante Bouschet for the home market.  In 1972 Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home Winery used the saignée technique to remove some of the first run juice to intensify his Deaver vineyard Zinfandel in Amador County. The dry, white juice was made into a Rose-style wine but generated little interest. That is until a stuck fermentation in 1975 produced a sweet runoff juice, which caught on and white Zinfandel now sells at six times the rate of red Zinfandel.

Whence cometh the grape

Currently both Zinfandel and the Primitivo clone grow well in many part of California. The earlier-ripening Primitivo is also gaining fans. Castoro Cellars in Paso Robles quadrupled their Primitivo holdings alongside their highly-rated Zinfandel. Currently Zinfandel is the third most planted grape after Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The brix level determines the fruit flavors and ABV. Zinfandel styles:

• White Zinfandel – no skin contact after crush, varying residual sugar
• Zinfandel Rose – minimal skin contact, finished dry
• Zinfandel Red – Normal extraction, dry, balanced, 13.5 to 14.5 % ABV
• Zinfandel Claret – Done like a Bordeaux claret, Grgich Hills and Milagro Vineyards
• Zinfandel Big – Jammy, heavy extraction, ripe or overripe grapes 15.0 to 17% ABV
• Late Harvest Zinfandel – Overripe grapes, residual sugar, under 15% Tobin James Liquid Love

California’s oldest vineyard

Prospect Cellars proprietor Jamie Colburn-Lubenko can talk first-hand about Shenandoah Valley’s 10-acre Zinfandel planting known as the Original Grandpère Vineyard – the oldest and most revered of California’s Old Vine Zinfandels – because, to her, it’s family history.

“What everyone knows is that there is a grant deed in Amador County records that shows a vineyard planted there in 1869,” says Colburn-Lubenko, “and that the original vines are still there.  This makes it the oldest documented Zinfandel vineyard in the state.

California Zinfandel AVAs

• Central Valley has heavy production, but used for jug wine, blends and white Zinfandel.
• Sierra Foothills: Amador has a reputation for big, full-bodied Zinfandel. These extra-ripe wines have been called jammy, briary, and brambly, having aromas of sweet berries.
  • Within Amador County lies the Shenandoah Valley where Barbera, Sangiovese and Zinfandel reign supreme and home to the state’s oldest Zinfandel vines.
• Sierra Foothills: El Dorado one of the oldest wine-producing areas has 64 wineries and is located between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe at elevations of 1200 to 3500 feet. The region is warm and sunny, and El Dorado red wines are typically ripe and full-bodied.
• Santa Cruz Mountains AVA produces Zinfandel from just 9 acres that are known for their complexity and depth.
• Sonoma county has Zinfandel-plantings second only to the Central Valley.
  • Dry Creek Valley is known for its juicy Zinfandel with bright fruit, balanced acidity and notes of blackberry, anise and pepper.
  • Alexander Valley is the warmest region for Zin and home to Sin Zin of Alexander Valley Vineyards an iconic Zinfandel
  • Sonoma Valley around the town of Sonoma can be earthy and complex; Kenwood and Ravenswood.
  • Russian River Valley does have a warm area where Zinfandel, often with intense Boysenberry is favored. There are a number of old vines making spicy, moderate alcohol wines.
• Paso Robles AVA with its hot days and cool maritime evenings and a long growing season produces Zinfandel known for being soft and round, but also big and jammy.
• Napa Valley AVA produces Zinfandel wines described as plum-like and intense, tasting of red berry fruits with cedar and vanilla. Some Zinfandel in Napa tends to be made in a claret style like red Bordeaux. Mike Grgich, a Croatian, helped popularize this style. The Napa mountain subregions are generally more complex.
• Mendocino County Zinfandel wines are less known than their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir counterparts, but offer rich fruit, high tannins and higher alcohol.
• Lake County Although each area within Lake County has unique viticultural attributes, all are influenced by Clear Lake, the largest inland body of water in the state of California. The moderating influence of the lake results in a climate with less variation in temperature than surrounding areas and with the majority of the vineyards planted above 1,500 feet, this creates a higher and drier growing environment that reduces the threat of mildew and pests. Red volcanic soils can be found on the hillsides below Mount Konocti, while alluvial benches on the valley floor provide well-drained beds for the vines.
• Lodi has some of the oldest Zinfandel vines in California. While often used for White Zinfandel production, in the red style, Lodi Zinfandels have a reputation for being juicy and approachable.

Amador County

If there is one wine region in the foothills that most wine lovers would recognize it would be Amador County; known for their robust Zinfandel wines. Within the county are some of the oldest Zinfandel vineyards of California. As a Zinfandel lover my eyes would light up when I read Amador County on a Zinfandel wine label. That was before I’d ever explored the area and found a captivating wine region to explore and lasting memories of fun and fellowship with their winemakers.

Most of the Sierra Foothills wineries are family-owned and operated with small vineyards and a unique personal style of winemaking that has disappeared from many other regions like Napa and Sonoma. In fact the closest similarity I’ve found is to our own New Mexico wineries that are also family-owned with small vineyards and unique wines one will find nowhere else.

Amador County is located just west of the Lodi wine region, which is south of Sacramento. It has a Mediterranean climate, in part from the Delta, a series of rivers that feed San Francisco Bay. The land is bathed in light with warm days that rarely exceed 100 degrees and cool nights where the Sierra winds drop temperatures 30 to 35 degrees allowing the grapes to retain the acidity essential for well-balanced wines.

Amador County Vines

The majority of Amador’s vines are head-trained, spur-pruned and either own-rooted or on low vigor rootstocks like St. George, which provide a natural check on yields.

• Trained vines are primarily on bi-lateral cordons with vertical trellising.
• Severe pruning, cluster thinning, and dropping crop for low yields of four tons per acre.
• The highest percentages of organically farmed vineyards in California
• Dry-farming, also inhibits phylloxera infestation.
• 600 acres are 65 years or older, some dating to the 19th century.

The wines we tasted on-air:

As anyone who has listened to our radio show knows, we do tastings on-air that illustrate the wine region(s) we are covering. For red wines we do a double-decant, often with a Vinturi aerator, to gain an hour or so of open time. Below are the two wines we featured on this late November show.

Sobon Estate 2018 Zinfandel, Paul’s Vineyard 15.2 % ABV $28.99

Total Wines offers many Sobon wines; Zinfandel, Syrah and Barbera from various sites in Amador County. Leon Sobon is one of Amador’s pioneering vintners and has been on my short list of Shenandoah Valley winemakers.

Rombauer 2018 Zinfandel 15.9 % ABV, $35

Founders Koerner and Joan Rombauer moved to Napa Valley in 1972. Rombauer Vineyards was established in 1980.  Forty years later, the winery remains owned by second- and third-generation members of the family. This wine is a blends several vineyards, but primarily El Dorado County, Amador County, and Lake County.