Pulled the wine from my archiveslast week:
- Nalle Zin DryCreekVlly/SonomaCnty (13.5%; “Ziamese Zins”) 1992: Med.color w/ considerable browning; fairly cedary/pencilly/oldZ light spicy/DCV Zin/raspberry bit oxidized/tired some pencilly/Fr.oak rather mature/oldZin bit complex nose; lightly tart/tangy rather pencelly/old Zin little DCV Zin fruit rather dried out/bit tired flavor w/ light gentle tannins; long rather dried-out light Zin/spicy pencilly/Fr.oak finish that tracks flavor; a bit on the tired side & a bit ragged around the edge but still shows some Nalle fruit & offers up some pleasure.
More gizzyfurt from TheBloodyPulpit:
- I, of course, followed DougNalle’s Zins from the very start. Made several visits w/ Doug at his wnry. Always knew to bring a handful of dog treats for Blackie & we developed quite a bond. Doug was originally the winemaker at Quivera Wnry afore he founded Nalle. In an era of big/extracted/alcoholic Zins, Doug’s Zins stood out for their balance & restraint. Despite being lighter, their balance always allowed the age fairly well. But 33yrsof age is kinda pushing it.
Tom
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I met Doug in 1994 when i was thinking about starting my own brand. By then he was already an icon I was shocked when he was willing to meet with me. The fact that John Scharffenberger was my partner might have helped.
He had numerous glasses of wine on his bench with covers on them. I realized these were samples that he was tasting over many days. I could tell right away that he wasn’t a fan of where Zin was going in those days. He liked a restrained an elegant expression of Zin fruit, not what the masses were making. Although I haven’t had one his wines in many years, they were always consistantly wonderful with a beautiful fruit core. A winemaker buddy called them the ‘velvet hammer’.
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“Velvet hammer” is a good description of Doug’s wines. He was the master of restraint. Drinking his Zins is where I coined the descriptor “zinberry”. They were also classic DCVlly Zins.
He also made a few PinotNoirs that were masterful.
Tom
They’re still really good and distinctive. Photo from last year’s Historic Vineyard Society tasting in San Francisco.
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One of my favorite Zinfandel producers. So happy this wine showed so well. I was able to sample the wines Ken posted above and they are as great as ever.
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As a waiter at SF’s Pauline’s Pizza in the early 1990s I served up a lot of Nalle to the regulars. When I reached out to Doug and was invited up for lunch I pretty much knew what I was going to do with my life. Lee’s cookies also made an impression, though baking has taken a back seat to winemaking. I appreciate this thread, Tom and Casey. The Nalle family is a legacy of honest wine at its best.
Yup… Lee’s cookies were extraordinary. She was a teacher in a grade school there in Healdsburg.
I believe son Sam pretty much runs the place now. Haven’t tasted them in a number of yrs.
Doug was the epitome of a gentleman.
Tom
Had a busted vertical of three gitfted to me and all three were quite nice believe it was18-19, 21. Making me want to go back out there and then maybe swing by Rafanelli for lunch
