Wine

I'm a bit late posting our annual list of wines from the ZAP tasting. Again, we took a lot of notes during this year's ZAP Zinfandel Festival tasting. Our strategy is to taste at any tables where the winery is new to ZAP, plus we taste anything that's over $40 a bottle. Then we usually end up tasting some other stuff here and there, mainly on the recommendation of friends or other volunteers.

Much of what we tasted was barrel samples and just-bottled wines that haven't been released yet. There were a lot of really good wines but these were the standouts, grouped by our first then second favorites:

Most favorite wines:
Atelier 2004 Rockpile (we have a bottle of this!)
Carlisle 2005 Pietro's Ranch
Chateau Potelle NV Zinie de Potelle, Late Harvest
Chiarello 2005 Felicia Old Vine
Coturri: 2005 Chauvet Vineyards, 2004 Estate, 2005 East Block Old Vines
(recommended by a friend, and was really good)
Gamba 2005 Moratto, 2005 Estate (always a favorite, but we like the Moratto best)
Kokomo 2005 Perotti, 2005 Timber Crest (former asst. winemaker at Amphora - yum)
Macchia 2004 Adventurous (also recommended by a friend)
Mara 2004 Reserve, Dolinsek Ranch (got some buzz among the volunteers)
Mauritson 2005 Rockpile Cemetery Vineyard (so good, better than the regular Rockpile)
Michael-David 2004 Lust (huge)
Minnassian-Young 2004 Minassian-Young Estate
Pezzi King 2004 Late Harvest
Renwood 2004 Grandpere (always a favorite)
RHR 2004 Late Harvest, Old Baily (very nice people)
Sapphire Hill 2005 VineAgra, 2004 Bastoni
Saxon Brown 2004 Parmelee Hill
Sharp 2003/2004 Hailey's Creek, 2005 Hailey's Creek barrel sample (huge with some residual sugar - almost a late harvest)
Simi 2005 Late Harvest
Valdez 2004 Rockpile, 2005 Late Harvest, Simoncini Vineyard (we bought the very first case of the rockpile, and it's drinking really well right now)
XYZin 2005 Vine Age Series 100 year

Runner-ups:
Atelier 2006 Alexander Valley - barrel sample
Bella Lily Hill
Robert Biale 2005 Stagecoack Biale Block, 2005 Monte Rosso (we liked the Aldo's from Thursday a bit better)
Beatty Ranch 2004 Beatty Ranch Vineyard
Elyse 2004 Eaglepoint Ranch
GiaDomella 2003 East Passalacqua, 2004 East Passalacqua
Gravity Hills 2003 The Sherpa
Grey Wolf 2004 Estate
Grgich 2005 Old Vine
HaGafen 2004 Reserve
Javelinia Leap 2003 Reserve
Minnassian-Young 2005 Minassian-Young Estate, 2004 Zin Cuvee
Outpost 2005 Estate
Papapietro Perry 2004.2005 Russian River Valley
Pezzi King 2003 Maple Vineyard
Ravenswood 2005 Old Hill Vineyard - barrel sample
Sapphire Hill 2005 Winberrie, 2004 Bastoni - barrel sample
Saxon Brown Casa Santinamaria Old Vine vertical (1999-2003; we liked the 1997 and the 2000 the best)
Sextant 2005 Wheelhouse (big hit from last year)
Sharp 2001 Hailey's Creek
SideJob 2004 C5
St. Francis 2005 reserve, Pagani Ranch
TRUST 2006 Dry Creek Valley

We took a lot of notes during this year's ZAP Zinfandel Festival tasting. Our strategy is to taste at any tables where the winery is new to ZAP, plus we taste anything that's over $40 a bottle. Then we usually end up tasting some other stuff here and there. Much of what we tasted was barrel samples and just-bottled wines that haven't been released yet. There were a lot of really good wines but these were the standouts:

- Atelier 2004 Rockpile (I've never had a bad Rockpile wine)
- Robert Biale 2004 Black Chicken (almost always good)
- Bourassa 2004 Odyssey (we've liked many of their wines)
- Brown Estate 2004 Chiles Valley (also consistently good, a standout from last year)
- C.G. di Arie 2003 Southern Exposure, The Original Grandpere Vineyard (recently highlighted on a Chronicle Podcast, old vines and excellent)
- Charter Oak 2003 Napa/Sonoma (their Monte Rosso is also very good)
- Christie Estate 2004 Dry Creek Valley Barrel Sample
- Crushpad 2005 Teldeschi (this is a custom crush facility - not sure who actually made this wine but it was yummy)
- Dogwood Cellars 2004 Medocino Barrel Sample
- Frank Family 2003 Napa Valley
- Gamba 2004 Old Vine Moratto Vineyard (we bought a half-case of the 2003 last year and are loving it - will be released this Friday)
- Jessup 2000 Zinfandel Port (hard to find)
- Karmere 2004 Empress Daisy
- Mauritson Family 2004 Cemetary Vineyard, Rockpile Barrel Sample (will be released in June, quite excellent - very hard to get)
- Medusa 2003 Old Vine, Creeksie Block, Bar 49 Vineyard
- Meeker 2003 FroZin (their take on an eiswein)
- Moss Creek 2000 Late Harvest (very expensive at $70/bottle!)
- Moss Creek 2000 Reserve
- Moss Creek 2004 Wappo Camp Vineyard Barrel Sample
- Outpost 2004 Howell Mountain
- Pezzi King 2004 Late Harvest Estate
- Pezzi King 2004 Reserve
- Rotta 2004 Zinfandel Port, Giubbini Vineyard
- Saxon Brown 1997 Old Vine, Casa Santinamaria (they were pouring an excellent vertivle, 1997 through 2003)
- Sextant 2004 Wheelhouse
- Sextant 2004 Night Watch (Sextant got all the buzz this year - this was the first time they had ever even poured their wines at a public tasting)
- The Other Guys 2004 Pungerhead (available at Whole Foods, a nice inexpensive everyday wine)
- Tin Barn 2003 Gilsson Vineyard (liked this last year)
- Valdez Family 2004 Rockpile (the star of last year's tasting - we just bought a case - May release, only a few hundred cases available)

Today was the annual ZAP Zinfandel tasting in San Francisco. Larry and I volunteer for the event every year, but since it's a series of events, we work Thursdays so we're free to taste on Saturday. This year, we worked all day Saturday, so we didn't have a lot of time to taste.

Best of Show: Valdez Family Winery Rockpile Zinfandel. He was pouring a barrel sample that won't be released until 2006, but it's already fantastic. High in alcohol but didn't taste hot. Really jammy and lush. The owner of Rockpile Vineyard was pouring at their booth.

Best in Herbst Pavillion: Gamba Estate Zinfandel. Like a cherry bomb, with coffee undertones. We had this at the ZAp reception a few weeks ago, but it wasn't the final blend.

Other nice wines: Fred's Hands, Charter Oak Monte Rosso (expensive but really excellent), Tin Barn, Copain Arrowhead Zin, Amphora Mounts Vineyard (the grower was pouring side-by-side with the winemaker - how nice).

Larry and I attended a ZAP reception at City Hall in San Francisco last night. We liked these wines (all Zinfandels, of course): EOS, Bourassa, and Gamba.

Today we ventured to Napa, a rare occasion. We tend to like the more laid-back Sonoma County wineries as well as our regional wineries along the peninsula and in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Today we attended an event at Laird Family Estate for Chiarello Family Vineyards. It was a release party and barrel tasting that included lunch, a bottle of wine and a booklet of Michael Chiarello's recipes. In addition, the Fine Living channel was filming something for the Napa Valley Wine Auction. We visited a few wineries before and after the event as well:

Nichellini Winery:
A small, family owned winery that goes back for several generations. The tasting room is charming. The wines are not great and are low priced. We bought an inexpensive bottle of Sauvignon Vert - an okay picnic wine.

Napa Cellars:
Nice folks (Kerri poured our wine), and really good wine all around. We bought a bottle of Late Harvest Zinfandel for Larry's dad. We even liked their Chardonnay. None of the wines were over-oaked, a common problem in California (especially with Chardonnay). Loved the Reserve Merlot.

Chateau Potelle:
We went here because the Zinfandel VGS is to die for. We try it every year at ZAP. However, we weren't impressed at the winery. Nothing really stood out, even the VGS. I think the bottle had been open too long.

Chiarello Family Vineyards:
The Gianna Zinfandel was good, and the Felicia was even better. The Old Vine Petite Sirah was just yummy. The barrel sample of the Gianna Zinfandel was excellent, fragrant and jammy.

Rugusci:
Wines are kind of pricey, but all were really good.