TN: 2017 Arnot-Roberts Zinfandel Kirschenmann (USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi)

• 2017 Arnot-Roberts Zinfandel Kirschenmann - USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi (10/23/2018)
  12.6 abv, 2 barrels produced, splash decanted…of course, very youthful primary fruit, red berries, cranberry tart and crunchy yet has a nice polish already. More Gamay right now than Zin…very light bodied and elegant, total Kirschenmann finesse…pretty florals of roses and tilled strawberry field…some herbs, candied licorice, crushed granite. I’m searching hard for some zin spice…slightest of white pepper, but not really zin-like. Love the translucent character…comes across like a Trousseau/Gamay blend…love the pretties in this…just CRAZY knowing this is a ZIN? Fun and tasty wine…not mind-blowing like the 12 was though. Will let the next one settle more with some bottle age. +pts (92 pts.)

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Great note - thanks!

Your note reminded me of Martha Stoumen’s Post Flirtation Red, which is a zin / carignan blend. Anyway, I missed this bottling, but am opening the A-R Gamay in a few weeks.

Thanks for sharing the tasting note. I’ve loved the Arnot-Roberts I’ve had so far (Chardonnays, Trousseau, Syrah) but I’ve never seen any Zin from them. I wasn’t expecting to find something from them from Lodi, or to read a tasting note of a Lodi Zin that sounded like that.

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Opened a bottle tonight. Buzz’s note is spot on. This is the anti-Zin from Lodi — low alcohol and finesse.

Not a ton of varietal character at this point but savory and slurpable. Floral nose but just a bit monochromatic on the palate. Reminds me of a
Carignan/Trousseau from Sandlands.

This is a good wine for the FWE.

• 2017 Arnot-Roberts Zinfandel Kirschenmann - USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi (4/5/2020)
  Fourth bottle from release…starting to show a little more flesh, yet still has that lovely translucent med bodied style. Little more Zin briary funk then previous bottles…leather reduction…more zin spice as well. Fruit is bright and still quite crunchy…not as primary as the first bottle…red berries, cranberry tartness…pretty florals of dried roses, licorice, fresh herbs, tilled strawberry field…crushed granite structure…with that Kirschenmann finesse still evident. I like a little chill on it…showing beautifully, especially for those who like the more subtle, low abv style wines…this is for you/me! (93 pts.)

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This is a fascinating wine!

• 2017 Arnot-Roberts Zinfandel Kirschenmann - USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi (8/2/2021)
  12.6% abv. Medium light ruby, good aromatics. On the palate, red cherry, rose petals, white pepper and cranberry. Light bodied with moderate length. Very precise on the palate without a lot of intensity or depth. An atypical Zin that I would expect to have an atypical aging profile - I’m guessing this wine needs another 2-3 years for its best showing. Enjoyable now and I would think very good with food. (91 pts.)

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Hey that’s my cellar?

Brian, stock photo from CT (plus it’s way better looking than my cellar)!

Fascinating notes all around. I’m not terribly familiar with Arnot-Roberts wines, but I’d never have guessed they made a Zinfandel…and from Lodi!

I think as Zin interest increases with the artisanal styles, we’ll see a lot more “high end” Lodi wines in the future. Now, I’m biased of course, taking mainly from there, but the reality is that Zin has been pulled out and replaced by PN and Chard in many of the higher priced appellations, so there’s less of it there. Combine this with Lodi’s numerous historical vineyards and old vines, and you’re looking at a perfect storm down the line. If Lodi as an appellation was a stock on Wall St, my recommendation would be to buy!

Just to give you an idea how things change and how fast it does so - on the Bedrock YouTube feed, Morgan T-P goes through some old wines in his collection. He specifically comes across an older Contra Costa wine that he freely admits he looked down upon at the time, as it was from the lesser Contra Costa. Now he owns Evanghelo…

Your tasting notes sound very similar the the Sandland version from this vineyard. So enjoyable and different from the higher alcohol zins I am used to. Really lets the fruit play on the palate in a wonderful way.

Light, tense, energetic, precise, feminine … Kirschenmann Vineyard is one of the most distinctive and versatile Zin vineyards, IMO. A Zin for lovers of Pinot and/or Gamay Noir, yet unmistakably Zinfandel.

My original comment was not a condemnation of Lodi. I simply was surprised by the fact that Arnot-Roberts made a Lodi Zinfandel.

Burgundian varieties are being planted in many areas once dominated by Zinfandel and “mixed blacks”. I suppose that such conditions could add impetus to the search for ancient plantings of merit in underappreciated regions.

I am completely in agreement with you here: the region has a very promising future. Active cooperation between local vintners and growers is adding value to the “Lodi” brand, particularly for outsiders with an eye for balanced and site-expressive wines.

It’s not difficult to underestimate the potential of California’s warmer inland regions. Concerning Contra Costa, my “Road to Damascus” moment involved a bottle from Cline Cellars. I brought 3 different wines to a friend’s birthday cookout; an 8-year-old “Big Break Vyd” Zinfandel of doubtful quality was included - just in case.

We immediately were struck by the wine’s depth and finesse. Prior experiences with Contra Costa Zinfandels often bordered on the vulgar. This bottle revealed what could be achieved when the right winemaker respected the raw materials.

There is no reason that the same should not be possible in San Joaquin County.