Cracked this oldie last night w/ low expectations:
- Nalle Zin DryCreekVlly/SonomaCnty (13.5%; “Ziamese Zins” Doug & Lee Nalle) Healdsburg 1992: Med.dark color w/ some browning; rather cedary/pencilly/oldZin some spicy/DCV Zin/raspberry some toasty/pencilly/oak bit quiet/tired rather pleasant nose; fairly tart some cedary/pencilly/oldZin light raspberry/DCVlly Zin some toasty/pencilly/oak bit peppery complex flavor w/ drying/astringent tannins; very long some drying/astringent finish that barks at flavor; still clinging to some DCVlly Zin fruit but somewhat drying out & a bit on the tired side.
More geezersplat from TheBloodyPulpit:
- When I first opened & tried this Zin, it was pretty astringent & rather tired. However, after 3-4 hrs open, it lost a lot of that tired/drying character, the fruit became much more forward & fragrant and it was no longer a wine in its twilight yrs but just a much more attractive complex fully mature Zin. A much more attractive & palatable Zin.
I, of course, followed Doug Nalle’s Zins from the very start & have always liked them. They were not about power and extract but more about grace & elegance anf balance. But that balance was what allowed them to age relatively well & gracefully.
When I would do a visit w/ Doug, I was always sure to take along a bag of dog treats for Blackie. Blackie soon learned I was his friend & come running out to meet me. I miss that pup.
His son, Andrew, is primarily the one in charge of winemaking duties these days.
Tom