TN: 2015 Harrington Zinfandel Zeni Ranch (USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino Ridge)

WINE TALK
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  • 2015 Harrington Zinfandel Zeni Ranch - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino Ridge (4/24/2019)
    Some prickly twang on the front of the tongue, this needs a Mollydooker Shake to blow off the CO2. Sappy and black fruit on the nose. Black fruit compote, medium acid, smooth tannin, sweet finish with a touch of saline. Quite fresh fruit, I’d have thought this was just bottled.

Reminds me more of a Cru Beaujolais than a Zin in profile. Its just so quaffable.

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Rama, this is an old-vine field blend that’s mostly (over 75%) Zinfandel. The original mixed black vineyard was planted as far back as the 1890s, and more Zin planted in the 1920s. Other varieties we believe may be in the old part of the vineyard include Carignane, Mataro, Grenache, Alicante Bouchet, Palomino, Chasselas, perhaps others. It was fun sorting through the fruit when it came into the winery (I helped pick it in 2016, missed out on that in 2015) and seeing all the obviously different grape varieties in the bins, including at least two different white varieties.

For various reasons, we only got this fruit in 2015 and 2016, though it would be cool to work with it again.

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Thanks Ken. Do you know how it was vinified? I’m curious if it was minimal racking that resulted in the suspended CO2 or if its something else.

Sorting a field blend like that sounds like it’d keep you on your toes!

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This was never racked until it went to tank a short time before bottling, and it’s not that unusual that we get a little CO2 in some of the bottled wines but it dissipates pretty quickly after opening. We typically do not rack any wine while it’s in barrel or tank. I think there was only one barrel of the 2015 Zin and I’m sure it was an older one.

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Thanks for the tasting note!! I am excited to see more attention being given to old-vine sites in Mendocino County

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Do you happen to know if this is the fruit source for the Ridge Mendocino Zin from the 70s?

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Yes, it was. Probably best-known more recently for the vineyard-designate Zeni Ranch Zinfandels from Edmeades.

Interesting history of Zeni Ranch from the Anderson Valley Advertiser in 2013:
The Zeni Ranch

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Thanks, great piece.

“Electricity still has not reached the Zeni Ranch, so we usually only check email when we go to town.”

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I talked to Paul about it (2 years ago) since I’d seen they’d made at least one vineyard designate from there ('72). He waxed poetically about the colorful figures of the Mendocino Ridge Zin growers he deal with. It may depend on the vintage, but most likely those “Mendocino” designates are from multiple vineyards.

When they used a broader term like that, it’s a second tier of sorts. If it’s a second tier from a single vineyard, it would (normally, at least) have the vineyard name in small print on the front label. So, Dusi fruit could be allocated to “Paso Robles” and/or “Dusi” designates each year. Trentadue fruit could be bottled separately and/or make the Geyserville blend.

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Thanks for clarifying, Wes. I’ve seen photos of the Ridge Zeni Zin, and I’m sure you’re correct about there being multiple vineyard sources for the non-vineyard designated Mendo Zin.

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What about the “Occidental” Zins? Where did that fruit come from.

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Those always come from the Robert von Weidlich vnyd. Now farmed by EricSussman under the Radio-Coteau label.
Tom