DRY CREEK VALLEY DOMINATES RECENT ZINFANDEL TASTINGS

As my favorite wine, I naturally drink a lot of Zinfandel. One reason is it’s quite versatile with food. The more elegant styles are great with red meat, especially lamb. The more assertive styles easily compliment spicy foods like Italian and Indian. But I really like it with barbecue and grilled meats like burgers, sausage and barbecued chicken. And even chocolate! I mostly love Zinfandel because it captures the essence of exuberance and zest in a glass. Although it can be made in a variety of styles, it typically is big and bold, with raspberry and blackberry fruit accented with spice and a brash, even a little wild character often described as bramble. Even better, it is one of the best values in wine, considering the overall quality, which can rival the finest wines in the world, and that most of even the best wines are under $35.

There is one potential problem, though: Zinfandel tends toward high alcohol, which can make for excessively hot, sweet, flabby wines. It is possible, though, to balance the alcohol with intense fruit. And, thankfully, most of the wines below do that. My tastings this year were dominated by Dry Creek Valley, that narrow strip of beauty in northern Sonoma. Here are my recommendations:

Rosenblum. Founder Kent Rosenblum has sold his winery after thirty years to Diageo but remains as the consulting winemaker. During that time, Rosenblum’s zins (about 22) have become benchmarks for the varietal. The hillside vineyard location has yielded a 2006 Rockpile Road ($35) that is full, rich and intense.

Dry Creek Vineyard. Founded by David Stare in 1972, this is the modern day pioneer of Dry Creek Valley wine. While a variety of wines are made, including very good Sauvignon Blanc, I have always been partial to the Zinfandels. The 2006 Somers Ranch ($34) is a textbook zin from a hillside vineyard. The 2006 Beeson Ranch ($34) offers impressive depth and surprising suppleness from a 120-year-old vineyard.

Dashe Cellars. More people should know about the wines of Anne and Michael Dashe. This husband and wife team focuses primarily on making wines from older hillside vineyards in Sonoma County. The 2007 ($24) offers the intense fruit and structure that is the signature of that terroir.

Mazzocco Winery. This winery’s Zinfandel portfolio has expanded dramatically, now featuring around 15 different bottlings. In general, the wines below (all 2006) are intense and jammy, with crisp acidity and an abundant finish. They also are the highest alcohol table wines I’ve tasted in a long time. They are controversial among critics but I found them to be enough in balance with abundant fruit and texture that the extra alcohol was less noticeable, except for heat in the finish. My suggestion? Make up your own mind.

· West Dry Creek ($32) and Reserve ($50)

· Warm Springs Ranch ($32) and Reserve ($50)

· Maple ($40) and Reserve ($60)

· Pony ($32) and Reserve ($50)

· Smith Orchard Reserve ($50)

· Lytton ($29)

Dutcher Crossing. This winery was established in 2001 as the realization of a lifelong dream of Debra Mathy, who had previously been a teacher in Colorado. The elegant 2007 Bernier-Sibary Vineyard ($39) offers strong darks fruits and a slightly bitter finish, while the 2007 Maple Vineyard “Bill’s Block” ($49) is a powerful mouthful.

Lake Sonoma. Founded in 1977 and owned by Gary Heck (Korbel, Kenwood, Valley of the Moon) since 1996, Lake Sonoma is a reliable source of flavorful, well-priced zins. The well-regarded Saini Farms benchland vineyard delivered a nice 2006 Old Vine ($22).

Artezin. This label is owned by the Hess family (of Hess Collection in Napa and wineries in Argentina, Australia, South Africa and Russian River Valley). Hess works closely with selected growers to source quality fruit, a strategy that was quite successful with the 2007 ($25).

Not surprisingly, other areas in Sonoma County also showed well.

Murphy-Goode. Founded in 1985 and now owned by Jess Jackson, two current releases, the 2005 “Snake Eyes” Ellis Ranch ($35), from a 70-year-old vineyard in Alexander Valley, and 2006 Liar’s Dice ($21), an easy drinking blend of Dry Creek and Alexander Valley fruit, hit the mark.

Rodney Strong. Founded by the iconic Rod Strong in 1962, the winery was purchased by Tom Klein in 1989 but the wines still are made by Rick Sayre who has been the winemaker since 1979. Rick’s 2007 “Knotty Vines” ($20) is a fine blend of Russian River and Alexander Valley fruit.

St. Francis. This Sonoma Valley winery dates to 1971 and the vines that sourced the 2006 Old Vines ($22) are at least 50 years old, head-trained and dry farmed from small family owned vineyards in Sonoma County.

Napa Valley, too, can deliver very good zin.

Frank Family. Hollywood executive Rich Frank’s winery near Calistoga on the historic Larkmead winery property produces notable cabs, Chardonnay and sparkling wines. But I’ve always enjoyed the zin and the 2006 ($37) is another winner.

Napa Cellars. This winery is owned by the Trinchero family who are famous for their Sutter Home wines but now also own something like 25 brands. Much of the fruit for the 2006 Napa Valley ($22) was sourced from the warmer regions of Napa Valley, including Calistoga, St. Helena and Pope Valley. As such, it shows ripe fruit and a lush texture.

Kuleto. Established by well-known restaurant designer Pat Kuleto and now majority-owned by Foley Family Estates, this mountain vineyard overlooking the Napa Valley from the east produces fine Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Syrah. The 2006 Estate ($40) shows they also can make excellent Zinfandel.

Paraduxx. This is a one wine winery built by Duckhorn to produce a “Super Tuscan” style blend dominated by zinfandel. The 2005 ($45) is a well-structured wine that includes cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc.

Additional recommendations in order of preference:

2006 Rosenblum Annette’s Reserve Mendocino County ($35)

2006 Rosenblum Eagle Point Mendocino County ($25)

2006 Rosenblum Carla’s Reserve Contra Costa County ($30)

2007 Artezin Mendocino County ($18)

2006 Dancing Bull California ($12)

2006 Mazzocco Stone Alexander Valley ($29)

2008 Ironstone Old Vine Lodi ($10)

2007 Rosenblum Contra Costa County ($17)

2007 Shannon Ridge Lake County ($19)

2006 Twisted Vines Old Vine California ($8)