Rain wasn’t really an issue in 2010. An inconsequential amount (about a tenth) fell on September 19th. Real rain, several inches in fact, didn’t fall until October 23rd. By that point almost everything had been picked. The problem was the heat to which Truett alluded. After a record cool summer, it went from a high of 68F on August 22nd to over 100F on August 23rd. It was even hotter on August 24th with some locations going north of 115F. A lot of North Coast Zinfandel was in the middle of veraision and was very vulnerable. Much of it cooked on the vine, sous-vide if you will, and was lost. Berries that survived had their maturation compromised, desiccating and concentrating both acid and sugar. Resulting wines were both under and over ripe at the same time. Easily the most challenging year for Zinfandel since 1989 and one I hope to never experience again. Even old-time growers who were in their 70s and 80s said they had never seen anything like it.
Jay, you crack me up. Well done.
I opened up a 2010 Carlisle Monte Rosso Zinfandel and 2012 Bedrock Kirschenmann Zinfandel last night. Decanted both over an hour.
Both were well balanced, ready to go and enjoyable wines; but talk about opposite ends of the zinfandel spectrum. The Monte Rosso was full bodied, well balanced and drank somewhat like a cab. Great fruit flavors and complex/deep fruit. Loved it. 93 pts.
The Bedrock Kirschenmann, while also very enjoyable, was much leaner and drank almost more like a pinot. Elegant and feminine. It was no match for the Carlisle Monte Rosso, but still a solid wine. 90 pts.
Thanks for the note Chris. In my limited experience with Kirschenmann, it does indeed produce a very Pinot noir-esque Zinfandel. It’s also been described as Grenache and even Sangiovese-like. Monte Rosso on the hand has always been about power and produces classic mountain-grown wines. After seeing Loren’s note above, I opened a bottle about 10 days ago. Night one was very reserved and while I didn’t find it hot, I did find it edgy due to tannins and acidity. But over the next three nights, it calmed down and smoothed out quite a bit. Night 4 was the best. Amazingly, even after four days and no attempt to protect it from O2 (other than a stopper), it showed no signs of oxidation. This is one 2010 Zinfandel that I would have no qualms about aging.