Have you told your friends about Paso Robles Zinfandel?

I love the care and technique used by Ridge Vineyards in making their 2016 Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel. They employ a hands-off approach to wine-making, an old-world practice of minimal manipulation of the grapes, juice, and wine as it progresses. The vines are head-trained with no trellis and grown in rocky, gravelly soils with hot days transitioning to cool nights, ideal for ripening grapes and creating balanced sugar to acid. Hand-harvested grapes are used to select the best fruit possible, and natural yeast fermentation is used, allowing the native ambient yeast growing in the vineyard to ferment the juice. This is not unheard of but requires knowledge and experience with a vineyard to produce high-quality wine consistently.

Ridge Vineyards removed the stems at harvest time, then macerated or soaked the juice with the skins, seeds, and pulp for eleven days, allowing for the extraction of rich, complex phenolic compounds and color. They also allowed Malolactic fermentation (MLF) to occur naturally, which changes the tart green apple taste of Malic Acid to Lactic Acid, giving a softer mouthfeel to the wine and, in some wines, a buttery aroma. The wine was barrel-aged partially in new American oak barrels giving it hints of spice and sweetness without being sugary.

Pure Zin.

This 100% Zinfandel showcases what a well-made single varietal wine can offer; the wine-maker notes read, “Deep garnet color. Black cherry fruit aromas and scented barrel spice. Rich bramble fruit on entry, medium body, integrated tannins, and lively acidity, a long, opulent finish.” By the way, what does bramble fruit mean? According to course material from Stanford University’s Oenology classes, it’s “a general category of aromas and flavors which includes raspberries, blackberries, loganberries [a blackberry & raspberry hybrid], and can have a prickly, peppery character.” I certainly experienced the “lively acidity and integrated tannins” mentioned. Acidity is one thing I now look for; it’s that sensation of just enough tartness in a perfectly ripe piece of fruit. The subtly present tannin was there without any grippyness, that feeling of your teeth being on edge when drinking highly tannic wine or a strong cup of Earl Gray tea. As for the “black cherry fruit aromas,” it’s one of my favorites. Black, red, sweet, sour, it doesn’t matter; I love it when cherry comes through in a wine.

Where is Paso?

Paso Robles, California, called Paso by the locals, sits halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on US 101 and is south of Napa by 240 miles, making for a warmer climate. The city is surrounded by the large Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA) known for Zinfandel. In 2014, the Paso Robles AVA was subdivided into eleven smaller AVAs, each with unique wine-growing characteristics, and now all are vying for their notoriety. The grapes for this wine come from the ninety-five-year-old vines of the Benito Dusi Ranch planted in 1923. The ranch’s vineyard is visible from US 101 as you drive through Paso Robles. It was planted initially with 100% Zinfandel and remains that way until today.

From Croatia to California.

No other wine is more closely associated with California than Zinfandel, but it is not native to the “Golden State.” In 2001, ancient Zinfandel vines were discovered in Croatia, and in 2003, DNA analysis revealed the Crljenak Kaštelanski (aka Tribidrag) grape of Croatia, the Primitivo grape of Apulia, Italy, and the California Zinfandel all share the same DNA profile. Essentially, they’re the same grape type!

Zinfandel’s journey to California started in 1820 when horticulturist George Gibbs brought vines from the Imperial Nursery in Vienna, Austria, to Long Island, NY. The nursery had obtained the grape from Croatia as it was part of the Austrian Empire. From Long Island, records show Zinfandel made it to California in the 1850s during the Gold Rush period.

Zinfandel first appeared in Apulia (aka Puglia), Italy, in the 18th century, being transported via the Adriatic Sea from Croatia. At that time, the grape was known as Zagarese, named after Zagreb in Croatia, just a short boat ride away from the southern region of Italy’s famous “heel of the boot.”

Since its introduction to California, growers have created many wine styles with this versatile grape, from sweet blush to dry still wines to sweet dessert port styles. IMHO, the 2016 Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel is a beautiful expression of Zinfandel at its best: a balanced, dry, single varietal with aging potential that showcases Zins’s unique fruit flavor. This wine demonstrates the success of Paso Robles and the potential for producing delicious wines from the warm climate and exceptional terroir.

I must try more wines from Paso Robles.