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The tasting floor at Rosenblum
Cellars, By George Heritier (geo t.) Rosenblum Cellars - Alameda, California - January 28, 1999: We'd been told that this event was the favorite of the Festival for many attendees, not only for the food and wine pairings and California casual dress code, but also for the less crowded, more accessible pouring/grazing stations. (In fact, the quarters did get a bit tight at times, as folks gathered to get a sample of the latest efforts from some of their favorite Zin producers. However, this never became a real problem, and should be considered a testament to the fine work of the ZAP organizers and the according growth in popularity.) Bree, Madame and this taster arrived to be greeted by ZAP Executive Director Rebecca Robinson, whom we'd corresponded with at some length with regard to covering the ZAP festivities. (9-Ball would join us later.) We then quickly set about exploring the Rosenblum winery, a spacious facility that provided a most apt setting for an affair of this sort. This event featured thirty-some producers pouring
their wares, each paired with a food station representing one of a corresponding number of
Bay area restaurants. Without exception, dishes such as wild mushroom risotto, white bean
tartar canapés and Chez Panisse’ sliced pork sandwiches worked perfectly with their
matched Zins. Shortly after moving on from Acorn station, I noticed a gentleman walking through the crowd, spittoon in hand, looking for his next taste, and I recognized him instantly. It was Long (and Boring) Tom Hill, the legendary internet wine geek/ fencer/mild-mannered computer jock and all around sex symbol. Hills tasting notes are always highly anticipated by web wine junkies, and indeed most of the last three years worth can be found at The Tom Hill Wine Tasting Notes Archives. Madame and I had only exchanged occasional notes with Tom on the Wine boards, and had never actually met him, so this was a special treat for both of us. We exchanged pleasantries and recommendations for the next few stops while taking advantage of a photo opportunity; then we went on our separate tasting ways, which happened to cross again and again throughout the weekend. But there was something about him that reminded us of a certain television backyard neighbor named Wilson… As we wandered, we found many more excellent selections as well; ’97 would seem to be shaping up as a fine vintage by many accounts and samples. We didn’t try anywhere near all of the wines, but we followed leads and checked out familiar names. Here are some general impressions: Bree introduced us to Jerry Seps, whose ’97 Storybook Mountain Napa Eastern Exposure Zin surprised us with its fruitful accessibility. This was Bree’s favorite wine of the night. The ’97 Rosenblum Contra Costa is a good Zin, but not quite up to the last couple of vintages. The ’97 Contra Costa Carla’s Vineyard was much better, with its good intensity of fruit. We got a taste of this from Dwight and Carla Meadows, who grow the grapes and were walking the floor with a bottle in hand. Dwight says the vines are old, and "look like hell." Rosenblum’s $40 (!?) ’97 St. Peter’s Church has good intensity, with nice spicy Zinberry stuff going on, but it‘s way overpriced. The new ’97 Ravenswood Amador Zinfandel was nice enough, if not as concentrated as many others here. Ditto for the ’97 Ravenswood Sonoma, which Bree described as "Not bad for a ’96…" Madame liked the ’97 Coturri Sonoma Mountain and Chauvet Vineyard bottlings for their sweet concentrated late harvest qualities, and I’ll admit that I liked them quite well also. I was a little surprised that these showed so well, since I’m familiar with this producer’s rep for making wines that go through microbial adventures, as Tom Hill and califusa so colorfully described. Tria is a new producer to me, and their ’97 Napa is intense and delicious with its toasty Zinberry flavors and aromas. We liked the ’96 Haywood Rocky Terrace, with its good intensity and spicy chocolate Zinberry flavors. Their ’96 Los Chamizal is nice, but less intense. Fife’s ’97 Old Vines has creamy sweet oak/raspberry/black cherry character and is quite good. The ’97 Redhead is thinner, with less spice and depth. The ’97 Vigil Lodi is another Zin with good intense spicy character. The ’97 Fanucchi Old Vine has spicy toasty oak Zinberry and medium intensity. The ’97 Z Amador shows more intensity than some of the bigger names present. We had a nice chat with James Runquist, the winemaker’s father. We were directed to the Hendry station, and the recommended Lot 7 was spicy, soft and pleasant, but I wasn’t overwhelmed; the Lot 23 didn’t do much more for me either. Martini and Prati’s ’96 Russian River Valley Marcucci Reserve was a pleasant surprise with its excellent intensity.
While we were having our little wine-walkabout, a
couple approached us and the gentleman asked, "The infamous We had a hot time at Rosenblum; it was a terrific kickoff to the ZAP Festival and we recommend it highly!
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Acorn principals, Bill and Betsy Nachbaur have a sense of humor when it comes to "stickering their barrels."
Tom Hill with his infamous spitoon
Tony Coturri
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