Tag Archives: Mendocino County

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

artezin Zinfandel 2007 Mendocino County

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artezin (I think they prefer no caps) is a part of the Hess Family of wineries. The label is focused on Zin, Petite Sirah and Carignan. In this wine, they “strive for a classic varietal, fruit-forward, ‘Zinny’ Zin.” Let’s see if they hit the mark for me.

Producer: Artezin Wines

Grapes: 91% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah

Appellation: Mendocino County (AVA, California)

Vineyards: “from the ridgelines and benchlands of the Ukiah Valley”

Vintage: 2007

Winemaking: Aged in 2nd and 3rd year French oak barrels.

Alcohol: 14.8%

Price: $11.99 at Costco in Austin

My tasting notes: For me this is has classic Zinfandel character in a more restrained style than many these days. Mixed berry fruit aromas with a caramel note from the oak treatment. More brambly berry flavors, with some spice and pepper. Smooth-texured. I was surprised when I looked checked and saw that this was 14.8% alcohol – it hides it well.

Overall impression: Zinny Zin, indeed. As long as you’re not expecting a “rip your face off” kind of Zin, I doubt you’d be disappointed with this everyday bottle. B

Free association: “Textbook” Zin… (lazy, I know)

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/underneath/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

More info:

There is a link to a podcast/video of the winemaker discussing this wine on the artezin website here.

90 points from Wine Enthusiast (this vintage and the 2006).

A few other takes on this wine at CellarTracker.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Unoaked Chardonnay – Part 2

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This is Part 2 of my Unoaked Chardonnay face-off: Toad Hollow Unoaked Chardonnay 2007 Francine’s Selection (Part 1 was the Clos LaChance Unoaked Chardonnay 2007 Monterey County.)

I didn’t know this before I starting researching this post, but Toad Hollow is one of the pioneers of unoaked Chardonnay in the US, their first vintage being 1993. So I’m glad I picked this one up; it should serve as a good benchmark. The only caveat is that they employ malolactic fermentation (MLF) while the Clos LaChance does not.

2007_chard_labelProducer: Toad Hollow

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

Appellation: Mendocino County (AVA, California)

Vineyards: 90% Mendocino County and 10% from Sonoma County

Winemaking: No oak aging (9 months in stainless steel tanks), but it does get 100% MLF and 8 months on the lees.

Alcohol: 13.9%

Price: About $12

My tasting notes: A bit more golden than the Clos LaChance, but less so than most Chards. It’s a little tight on the nose – once it warms up a bit I get melon, a bit of tangerine and a sort of plastery aroma. More melon on the palate with a pleasantly rich/viscous/oily mouthfeel from the MLF. I wouldn’t describe it as crisp, though it’s not flabby either. Lingering finish, but the flavor you’re left with is a little odd, actually. (I don’t get the same spice notes I got from the Clos LaChance, which were confusing me.)

Overall assessment: I really went back and forth on this one. Compared to the Clos LaChance, it is not as expressive of fruit, but it is perhaps more interesting overall. I still didn’t get the crisp green apple zing I was expecting this unoaked Chardonnay experiment to produce. In the end this is a pleasant and interesting wine, but the aftertaste is a bit off-putting, which keeps this from scoring better. C  (I certainly wouldn’t go this far.)

Free association: “Lost in our convictions, lips stained with wine / As the sun sank west of the Mendocino county line” – Mendocino County Line by Willie Nelson/Lee Ann Womack. (YouTube video here)

Unoaked Chardonnay Summary: I may have to extend this little series. These two left me disappointed. I think there are steelier, crisper, zingier examples out there that might appeal to my palate more. Perhaps you need to move up the price ladder to find good ones. After all, without the buttery/oaky “makeup”, the quality of the fruit is all the more important. If you have any recommendations, please leave a comment.

More info:

Several other folks liked this wine including: Wine Enthusiast (90 pts., Best Buy),  The Wine Curmudgeon, and Good Wine Under $20.

A few tasting notes & ratings on CellarTracker.

Nice article from Wines & Vines on unoaked Chardonnay that mentions the Toad Hollow (article is a couple years old)