Supple, Refined Sonoma Zin
One of my favorite dichotomies in California wine is the massive gulf of disparity between Sonoma and Lodi zinfandel. Both areas are well-known for California’s Grape,™ but both areas do it so very differently.
Zins from Lodi tend to be what I think most people get the idea that zinfandel is, which is big, spicy, high in alcohol but not exactly a fruit bomb. Not totally food-friendly unless you’re pairing it with something that can hold its own (a peppered steak, or maybe some pretty heavy curry).
On the flipside, zinfandel from Sonoma tends to be a bit brighter, more supple and refined. Less spicy, lower in alcohol and more food friendly. It can also be, well, pretty boring at times.
The 2008 DCV Zin from Lambert Bridge is definitely not one of the boring Sonoma zinfandels.
85% zinfandel and 15% petite sirah, this blend from Lambert Bridge’s own Winery Ranch Vineyard is an excellent example of the supple, refined side of California zinfandel. The introduction of the petite sirah, however, gives it a bit of an edge that keeps it from being too flabby or uninspired.
The wine is ruby in the center, and a light pink to the glass’s edge. On the nose is a very nice mixture of fruit and texture aromas, where raspberry and espresso mingle with tobacco and a hard-to-define chalkiness that comes off very rustic, very authentic. The wine is medium-bodied, soft and supple in the mouth. The dominant note is black cherry, but more of the chalky rusticness from the nose appears here on the palate.
What you won’t find are rough edges, super-high ABV (14%), or a lot of spice notes. A little rustic, a whole lotta refined, the 2008 Zin from Lambert Bridge is a very good example of what Sonoma has to offer zinfandel fans.
Dry Creek Cab Good Now, Should Be Great
I’ve raved about the wines of Lambert Bridge before, and I’m not about to stop.
After more-than-impressive offerings of viognier and petite sirah, how would Lambert Bridge’s flagship cabernet sauvignon stand up to scrutiny?
Well. Really, really well. Like, scary good.
2005 Lambert Bridge Limited Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
The Limited Selection Cab is 100% Sonoma County cabernet sauvignon. It clocks in at a Californian alcohol level of between 14-14.5%, but for anyone used to Cali style wine, that isn’t all that high (this isn’t, after all, Paulliac).
There’s something incredibly Sonoma about Lambert Bridge and their wines. There’s a little farmer in these people, a little rancher. A whole lot of vigneron. Friendly, with unpretentious wine that still maintains some of its traditional roots. Not a hoity or toity anywhere to be found.
So, the wine: garnet red in the glass, the edges are a bit more ruby in color. Very, very pretty wine. On the nose are a mixture of very cab sauv aromas: rhubarb, blackberries, some bell pepper, a touch of earthy twigginess.
The wine is full bodied on the palate, with several of the same notes from the nose coming through brightly, including blackberry and a kind of tobacco leaf herbiness. Leather and earth, too. The tannins are a bit sharp, but the wine is incredibly drinkable now. Given 5-10 years for the tannin structure to round out and calm down a bit, and this wine should be even more fantastic.
But it’s incredibly good now.
Verdict: A-
Sonoma-Grown Northern Rhône Brings It Home
It was hot this weekend.
Walnut Creek, my home and native land (so to speak) sits in the central Contra Costa valleys of the East Bay. It gets hot. The Oakland hills block any cooling effect that would be brought on by proximity to the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays, so we sit in this little valley and we cook.
On days like we had this weekend, a crisp, refreshing, acidic white wine—served appropriately chilled—is just what the doctor ordered.
From Dry Creek Valley (which does not suffer from blazing heat like my own Diablo Valley), Lambert Bridge Winery brings this 2008 vineyard-designated viognier.
Lambert Bridge is a winery I’ve written about before, after being impressed by their petite sirah. While this wine may not come off as epic like that one did, it’s still a very refreshing, still nuanced, crisp white that should be high on your list for hot summer days (or even warm summer nights).
The Bevill Vineyard Viognier looks like a lot of other aromatic white wines: it’s almost clear, with a slight golden shimmer in the glass. On the nose are notes I’ve come to expect from viognier: apricot, tropical fruit (like mango and a hint of banana), and this aromatic floral thing that seems very standard in viognier, but I find very hard to pin down to a specific descriptor. “Floral” just ends up being written in my notes. Hopefully it’s descriptive enough.
The 2008 Bevill is a clean, crisp white wine with sharp acid that makes it an excellent food pairing wine (especially with more delicate fare, like seafood or lightly-dressed pasta dishes). However, there’s plenty going on here—more apricot and tropical fruit, like from the nose—to make this wine well worth your while for solo drinking. Like maybe on the back porch on a hot Walnut Creek afternoon.
With white wine like this in the cellar, I fear no 96-degree day. Neither will you.
Verdict: B+
