I am reflecting a bit on my reaction to tonight’s wine, a 2018 Hartford Court Old Vine Zinfandel. We loved this. It is the most impressive Zinfandel that we can recall tasting. It was clearly a Zinfandel from the first sip, and it went on to deliver a tasty combination of fruit and herb, plus ‘just so’ dose of acid and smooth tannin. It all works together. The fruit and the herb can maybe be parsed after a few sips. Bright strawberry, mixing with darker fruit, ending with the darker fruit turning jammy and shouting ‘Hallelujah!” Herbal notes speak mediterranean with a slightly salty green olive accent. All this may sound like an ‘exuberant wine, which it is and also is not. All the zinfandel goodies were delivered and appreciated, but everything works by itself and with everything else. Not simply wonderful balance, but at a harmonious level of what I want to call sophistication or finesse. I enjoy Zinfandel across many different makers. They are often good, sometimes ‘damn’ so, but this is the first one that I would also call a fine wine.
“Fine” I think has been used for exclusionary purposes most often in yesteryear. Thus I’ve never taken to using it. It seems to say there are ‘fine’ wines and then there are wines for everyone else. Wine is for everyone. You shouldn’t feel shame for drinking a variety that isn’t associated with historic, collectable regions. It only has societal status if you allow it to.
I’ll just say that I 100% agree on the Hartford zins. Just incredible wines that seem to get better every vintage. They are now up in the same tier as Bedrock and Carlisle to me. Well…pretty close at least
To be more specific, I think texture is an element of what makes wine “fine”. Maybe it’s like fabric in that way. Not coarse or rustic, not plasticky or sheeny. Fine wine has a high thread count, no matter the yarn.
I don’t use “fine wine” as part of my wine vocabulary, but I guess if I were to use the expression, it would probably be something along those lines which David lays out.
Maybe my personal distinction would be that “fine wine” engages me cerebrally and in my capacity as a lover of wine, versus just being a nice tasting alcoholic beverage.
But I’d also agree with Cris Whetstone’s concept, in that fine wine could be $28 Sandlands Trousseau, $20 Curran Grenache Blanc, or something, too. It wouldn’t have to be prestige regions, varieties or labels to clear that bar.
I am 100% on board with this, as an engaging wine is an engaging wine no matter whether it’s $100 or $15. The Desire Lines ‘Winds of Change’ for low $20s is fine wine in my book. It’s engaging. It pulls me back in.
I don’t intend the word ‘fine’ to be exclusionary or ‘snobbish’ but I can recognize that it can come across this way. I was a little perplexed at my own reaction to this wine and struggling a bit to describe that it occupied a different (and for me better) place in my wine satisfaction universe, in general, and a different tasting experience than my previous encounters with good to very good Zinfandel. The word ‘fine’ popped into my head as possible descriptor/category for this assessment. Thanks to all for chipping on with thoughts and humor and snarks. I think David’s reply hit the essential distinction of what I was experiencing with this wine.
I also don’t use “fine wine” as part of my wine vocabulary, but reflecting on it now I guess I think of the term fairly broadly to mean a wine that is thoughtfully made by a winemaker to reflect the best wine that he/she can make from a given terroir within reasonable cost constraints. That’s obviously not a definitive definition and there’s a ton of gray area, but what I’m trying to get at is that the $9 rose I tried last week at Bernard Baudry is a wine fine, but the $9 mass-produced grocery store wine that was engineered to hit a certain style and price point is not.
Great tasting note! I really enjoyed the 2018 as well. Here is my tasting note:
2018 Hartford / Hartford Court Zinfandel Old Vine Russian River Valley- USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (5/10/2021)
Dark garnet in color and opaque in the glass. Aromas of black cherry, pomegranate, baking spice and black licorice on the nose; tastes of plum, black cherry, black licorice, and pepper on the palate; Medium(+) in body with medium tannins that soften with time in the glass; long, dusty floral finish. The 2018 vintage was great for Zinfandel and it showed in this bottle. Intoxicating aromas, mouthwatering acidity, crunchy red fruit, and elegant.
Hi Stephen, Thanks. Your cellartracker note is wonderfully descriptive. There really is so much going on in this wine and your last word of ‘elegant’ captures the Impression that I was trying to convey with the word ‘fine’. Thanks for posting it. I also took a look at your cellartracker note on your 2022 WOTY candidate. Sounds definitely like a wine that I would enjoy. I will try to run down a couple of bottles. Cheers. -Jim
