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NotTom
Yet Another Old Hill Vertical
Lest there be any confusion, this story refers to a venerable and highly regarded vineyard in Sonoma, rather than a venerable and highly regarded wine commentator who spends a good part of his tasting time with his mouth in a urinal...uh...spittoon. With the plethora of vineyard designated wines these days, some oenophiliacs think the distinction is becoming blurred. I tend to agree. For example, take the Zinfandels from Deloach. Please don't misunderstand - I think Cecil and his family are fine people and I enjoy their wines. However, for my palate, the differences between Pelletti, Paperi, Barbieri, Gambogi and the OFS were hardly significant enough to warrant separate bottlings - just one taster's opinion. That being said, there certainly are Zinfandels that have such unique flavor profiles and special character that it would be a shame to see them blended. The three "R"s of Zinfandel (Ravenswood, Ridge and Rosenblum) are surely the first producers that come to mind, and certainly no other wineries have done more to elevate the variety. They may be few and far between, but some Zins can age wonderfully, and require several years before I think they are even drinkable. The Old Hill Zinfandels from Joel Peterson are wines we respect and follow. No sooner had Bastardo reported on an Old Hill tasting, than I decided to cart a half dozen or so to Gang Central for us to enjoy. The third time charm came in the form of an email from Gwen McGill, a lovely gal who handles Public Relations for Ravenswood's parent group - Franciscan Estates. She extended an invitation for me to attend a retrospective tasting of Old Hill from the 1990s.
The event was held at the winery, and Joel was on hand to lead us through the flights and comment on the wines. An amazing array was poured and ready for us as we sat down. We started with the oldest and tasted forward. 1990 Old Hill - spicy blackberry in the nose - even more spice with air - restrained fruit on the palate - moderate tannins. Needs time. 1991 Old Hill - similar spicy berry aromatics - darker fruit aromas with air - very pretty and well balanced flavors. Needs time. 1992 Old Hill - more subdued aromatics - darker brooding fruit - nose remains closed despite advanced swirlitude - very rich and full in the mouth. Needs time. 1993 Old Hill - some earthy notes in the nose with a slight syrupy sweetness - the nose retreats a bit with time - a somewhat lighter spectrum of flavors - good balance. Needs time. 1994 Old Hill - more in the way of purple fruit aromas - hint of "stockpot" - the flavors are rather expressive, a reflection of the vintage, I think. Needs time. 1995 Old Hill - rather pretty and forward aromas of ripe fruit - very attractive and ripe in the mouth - impressive. Needs time. |
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Left Coast
Correspondent PROFILES: Up
the Coast More Tasting Notes from the Ridge Galleron Tasting
a Legacy - Serendipity C O
P I A "T"
is for... Rhone
Rangers 2000 Hospice
du Rhône 2000: Here
come da Juice - Heidi Peterson Barrett
Retrospective 1999
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1996 Old Hill - "creamy" aromas - smooth and broad texture in the mouth - somewhat subdued flavors. Needs time. 1997 Old Hill - far more spice than fruit in the nose - good Zinberry flavors - young. Needs much time.
Needs time, but an early drinker (for an Old Hill). 1999 Old Hill - dense and lush aromas - reminiscent of Lytton Springs - very plush and primary in the mouth. Needs plenty of time.
2000 Old Hill - slightly subdued in the nose - less dark, but spicy - fairly well closed - difficult to evaluate. Needs plenty much of a lot of time. 2001 Old Hill - barrel sample nose - noticeable, but not prominent chocolatey oak aromas - very attractive and well balanced fruit flavors. Needs much time. As if that weren't enough, Joel's staff had also poured samples of the other 2001 vineyard designates. I managed tasting notes on four, and brief comments on a couple more. 2001 Teldeschi Zinfandel - 80% Zinfandel 11% Petite Sirah 9% Carignane 14.6% alcohol 3125 cases produced 24 months in oak, 35% new. John Teldeschi is the fourth generation of his family to reside in Sonoma County. Some of these Dry Creek vines are 90 years old, and are typical of the mix planted by the early Italian families who introduced viticulture to the region. The varieties are fermented separately in small bins with indigenous yeasts. 2001 Monte Rosso Zinfandel - 100% Zinfandel 15% alcohol 1875 cases produced 24 months in oak, 33% new. This wonderful property at the top of Moon Mountain was planted in the 19th century by a San Francisco grocer and acquired in 1938 by Louis Martini. His winery made "Mountain Zinfandel" for years, and did not sell fruit from the vineyard until 1994. The constant sunshine and air movement produces grapes that ripen fully while maintaining good acids. Since the property was recently sold to Gallo, the 2002 Monte Rosso will be the last for Ravenswood. Lots of dark spice in the nose - rich and full Zinberry flavors - beautiful. 2001 Belloni Zinfandel - approximately 78% Zinfandel in a field blend with Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet and Carignane - alcohol 15.2% 640 cases produced. Planted around 1900, this Russian River vineyard on Wood Road in Felton was purchased from Ricardo Belloni in 1971, and is still tended by his family. The four grape varieties are cofermented. (Lest there be any confusion, the proper pronunciation is: bell - OH - nee.) 2001 Big River Zinfandel - 100% Zinfandel 14% alcohol 1600 cases produced 24 months in oak, 35% new. While designated Alexander Valley, this meticulously cared for vineyard lies on a hillside in the shadow of Fitch Mountain. Forward spicy aromas - downright flirtatious in the mouth - it will be difficult to let this age because it drinks so well right now. 2001 Dickerson Zinfandel - 100% Zinfandel 13.9% alcohol 1155 cases produced 24 months in oak, 30% new. This property is appropriately located on Zinfandel Lane in the middle of the Napa Valley. This special vineyard has also produced wonderful Ruby Cabernet. Ripe strawberry with red and black raspberries in the nose - a lovely spectrum of flavors - rather prominent tannins which (in my experience) is not uncommon for this wine. 2001 Barricia Zinfandel - 77% Zinfandel 23% Petite Sirah 13.6% alcohol 2360 cases produced 24 months in oak, 35% new. This 36 acre property lies in a particularly warm microclimate in the Sonoma Valley, and while many of the vines are century old, some date back to the 1870s when the vineyard was replanted after the Phylloxera epidemic. Very pretty spicy aromatics - beautifully ripe and pleasing flavors - another wine that's showing extremely well in its youth. Those of you who have enjoyed the largesse of Joel's hospitality know that he's not happy until his guests have been offered the opportunity to taste from barrel, and today was no exception. He climbed the mountain of barrels holding his vineyard designates, and thiefed us samples of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet. Then it was down to the patio below for live music, wonderful appetizers and the full range of new Ravenswood releases - Cabernet, Merlot, Icon and the aforementioned Zinfandels. Quite an amazing afternoon. The View from Here...
I've heard opinion and speculation (and it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference) about the perceived quality decline in the wines from Ravenswood. I do not know upon what those opinions are based - perhaps on the entry level Vintner's Blend line, or maybe the midlevel County Series wines. I don't know, and I can't say, because I rarely have the opportunity to taste those wines, and never on a regular basis. I do, however, follow the vineyard designated Zinfandels as closely as I can (as readers of these pages know). Based on that experience, and that includes fairly extensive tastings of Old Hill, Cooke and Dickerson, I believe that Joel Peterson has not missed a beat. Whatever distractions the corporate adventures of his winery have produced have not taken away from the quality of these very special wines. Indeed, they continue to represent the very best this grape - America's grape - has to offer. Thanks again Joel, and please...just keep on keepin' on. califusa
© January 2004
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1998
Old Hill - exotic spice and hints of leather in the aromatics -
softer in the mouth with more mature flavors.
I
extend my thanks to Joel Peterson for hosting this event, for lending
his extraordinary knowledge and experience to the tasting, and most
certainly for his dedication and efforts to producing distinctive single
vineyard Zinfandels.
