1976 Joe Swan Zinfandel

WINE TALK
1

Brought it into the City for lunch, so a little shaken, with only a few minutes to recover. I have always enjoyed Swan’s Zins, but had no idea what to expect from this, as it was bought from auction, and I had not done my homework for provenance. Color was good, so worth the risk.

Plenty of sediment, and the wines was miraculously clear-the train ride must have been smoother than I thought. Initial nose seemed a little tired, but that soon blew away. Took on a rich, fruit cake nose, hefty without being heavy. Seamless in the mouth, some tannins, and a little brightness. Solid finish rather than huge. Really good showing, the wine seemed to get better and better. 93

2

I loved to hear about that.
Rod would love to hear it.
And Joe, I’m sure, already knows a whole lot about it.

3

Picked up a bottle for $10 on Winebid 4-5 years ago when there was a crazy amount of old CA wine. Loved it.

4

I hate you

5

I’ve had the pleasure of having several older J. Swan pinots in the past - lovely stuff… Never an old Zin like this - cool note Mark!

6

I don’t claim to know anywhere near enough about anything, especially not anything wine-related, but I do spend a fair bit of time reading about zinfandel and really like the grape, even love some of its more “restrained” expressions. I’ve never heard of Joseph Swan before this thread, undoubtedly due to my own ignorance. Is this a producer I should be following?

7

Absolutely.

8

The sommelier came in late, so we blind tasted him. He said perhaps a 1970s Chateauneuf, which was a really good guess given the flavors and texture of the wine.

9

Not too surprised, Mark, that it was still hanging in there.
If my recollect is correct, this was the last Zin that Joe made from Teldeschi grapes. Joe was a notorious pinch-penny.
When Teldeschi (forget which brother it was), knowning what a reputation Joe was achieving w/ his grapes, asked for more $$;
ole Joe refused (though I suspect Joe was underpaying for those grapes). With the '77 vintage, he went up to Mendocino
to source his grapes (for only one yr), then found another source in RRV, but refused to tell what vnyd it was from.
I did a visit w/ Joe about '74 or '75. He was sorta curmudgeonly, but I really liked the guy. Joe introduced me to this guy
topping up barrels there in the cellar. Guy’s name was JoelPeterson…which might ring a bell.
Tom

10

I’ve had a number of Swan zins ranging from 20-35 years old, and not a single one was over the hill. Quite a remarkable track record.

11

I participated in a Swan Pinot vertical going back to the early 70s and not a single bottle was even close to being over the hill. Some of the wines from the 70s needed more time to be fully mature.

12

I have had nothing that old, just 10 years, but it gave me an appreciation for good Zin. If I hadn’t drunk so much plonky Zin in my youth, I would drink more now. They are on my list for CA wines, I like their style. [cheers.gif]

13

I’ve had both the 84 and 85 pinots recently and both were over the hill and drying out. Bottles purchased at auction, so provenance unknown.

14

I was gifted a 1987 Swan Sonoma County Zin, which had been purchased upon release and stored in one very nice cellar. But it sits in my collection due to lack of interest on the part of this Cab girl. Maybe I should try to summon the interest and check it out.

15

So this is what “ironic” means…

16

Merrill - or join our old-vine zin group next time we get together!

17

We didn’t taste either on that day but here is my note from the 1983 -

1983 Swan Trenton Estate Pinot - (this wine had 50% stem inclusion) Rod feels that Joseph Swan went a bit too much in the direction of tannic and austerity in the early and mid eightees. The aromatics were complex and quite profound. The flavors are rich and young and still dominated with tannins (though not astringent). This wine is still a toddler and has years if not decades of life ahead of it.

Link to the tasting notes from the tasting:

18

Those wines age so gracefully. Rod gave me a bottle of the first from the property 1968 Zin when I left working there to go north. Not sure when, where, or with who I will finally pull the cork. I have had many birth year wines and it is amazing to think wine can still be that good and as old as I am.

I have had most wines from most vintages as the library was and is still pretty extensive. Very few bottles being over the hill in my mind. One of my favorites was a base cuvee of chardonnay Rod made and never put thru secondary in the bottle or labeled for sale. I recall it being 10+ years old and so yummy! But I am a bubble head at heart.

19

I apologize ahead of time for the thread drift but am I the only person who keeps doing a double-take and for just a split second thinks “why is there a wine thread for weather report’s, late Joe Zawinul”??

Carry on…

20

That’s a fun reference. I do double-takes all the time…maybe we should have a thread that is entitled “this is what I thought it said.” Most of the thread drifts these days are a lot of fun. Did you know I met my cousin, Mark Champney, through thread drift?