Blackberry cobbler, olallaberry pie, rambunctious Dry Creek bramble, dusty July afternoons, spice cabinet, red dirt. Firm, rising mid-palate with a sloped plateau to a sweeping medium finish.
Vintage and Winemaker Notes
We’ve been making Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley for over 30 years, and we’ve spent that time honing our Zinfandel technique to a sharp point. Our goal is to make a Zinfandel that is unmistakably Dry Creek yet built on the foundation of old world wine chemistry–above average acidity, firm tannin, medium alcohol–and the aging potential that comes with those key attributes. Sub-50° F 11-day cold soak, tank fermented with pumpovers twice daily, 20 day cold ferment. Two week extended maceration.
Specifications
2012 Barrel Select Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
Vintage: 2012
Blend: 85% Zinfandel, 15% Merlot
Appellation: 100% Dry Creek Valley, 100% Sonoma County
Barrel Regime: 27 months in mixed once-used and neutral French and American oak
Alcohol: 14.9%
Bottling: January, 2015
Production: 280 cases
Lucas Meeker, Winemaker
Charlie Meeker, Co-Winemaker
2014 Barrel Select Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
Vintage: 2014
Blend: 88.9% Zinfandel, 11.1% Syrah
Appellation: 100% Dry Creek Valley, 100% Sonoma County
Barrel Regime: 27 months in mixed once-used and neutral French and American oak
Alcohol: 14.9%
Bottling: January, 2017
Production: 209 cases
Lucas Meeker, Winemaker
Charlie Meeker, Co-Winemaker
Included in the Box
4-bottles:
2x 2012 Barrel Select Zinfandel, The Meeker Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
2x 2014 Barrel Select Zinfandel, The Meeker Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Case:
6x 2012 Barrel Select Zinfandel, The Meeker Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
6x 2016 Barrel Select Zinfandel, The Meeker Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Winery: The Meeker Vineyard
Owner: Charlie, Molly Meeker and Family
Founded: 1984
Location: Geyersville, CA
Charles and Molly Meeker bought their first vineyard in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley in 1977, and thereafter, in 1984, established their winery – The Meeker Vineyard – with Charlie as the winemaker. In its early years, the winery specialized in Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.
The Meeker Vineyard tasting room is currently located in the 105-year-old Geyserville Bank building in the farm town of Geyserville, about six miles north of Healdsburg between Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys. In 2001, the Meeker tasting room was cited by The Wall Street Journal as one of the most enjoyable wine tasting experiences in all of Napa and Sonoma Counties.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Meeker Barrel Select Zinfandel - $40 = 16.66%
We love DCV zins. Summer shipping + cases of wine in the basement with nowhere to store means no go for us. Seems like a good deal, average on CT is around $30/bottle.
Only by chance was I home on Friday when Fedex dropped off, a bottle of Meeker 2014 Zin Barrel Select. Not knowing when the offer would surface, I stored it away in my temperature controlled Midwest basement (currently 62 degrees and 68% irh). This morning I saw the post and knew that I needed to post something by tonight. Work prevented me from drinking on the job.
Present for the tasting were jmd, +1 and the jmd+1 offspring, a brew meister. In the case of this bottle, there is no Pnp, more like UnP (unscrew and pour). Poured into a bordeaux glass. Looking at the wine with white paper behind it, it has a cranberry color, very clear, with no sediment. Maybe even a little pinot-like in color and clarity. Swirly/swirl reveals numerous long legs, with the entire inside of the glass resembling a veil or even the same way that fireworks cascade down. The rate of descent is moderate.
Sniffy-sniff: just alcohol and oak, possibly american. No fruit aromas at this point. It smells a little hot.
Initial tastings: as a consensus, we are picking up these glimpses of flavor: cranberry, maybe even pomegranate, plum, under ripe cherry, with a finish of pepper and a citrus-y zest. We aren’t sure if this is orange zest or grapefruit. There can be a close similarity between the two. We find there to be good acidity and some tartness. This is not a complex wine, but it has a good brightness to it.
After thirty minutes, the oak/alcohol smell has diminished when poured. The flavor profile remains about the same. I wish I could say that we would come back to it in an hour or two, but the bottle is empty. Always a good sign. We had a juicy 80/20 hamburger with this, but I think that this wine was better on its own. I can see this being preferred as a summer sipper. This wine has many years left in it, so either drink now or hold. Thumbs up as a buy.
Well, it’s my job to drink on the job. Unfortunately, I have not tasted this wine.
Nonetheless, I think you have here a daily double. On the one hand, though Zinfandel tends to have nice fruity aromatics, it tends to have grainy, graceless tannins. Nobody knows why, but this doesn’t happen in Dry Creek. It is THE place to make Bordeaux-style, beautifully structured, balanced, Eurocentric Zinfandel reminiscent of Tuscan Chianti Classico (a child of the Bordeaux style.) If you like power Zin, stay away. If you appreciate grace and balance, this should be a good bet.
Secondly, in an industry of fine people, the Meekers are among the best – personable, dedicated, knowledgeable, uncompromising, and a hell of a lot of fun to be around. I’m ordering this blind simply because it’s fun to support such fine folks who I know will not let me down.
@winesmith Thanks for the kind words about my family Clark, it’s always nice to hear from another stalwart, and especially when it’s as nice as your comment. Moreso when it’s from one of the few people who have pushed harder on the boundaries of old-world-chemistry-new-world-wines than my dad did.
I’ve been meaning to introduce myself at some point, and I know our paths almost crossed a couple years ago, but please stop by the winery next time you’re in Healdsburg.
Apologies as this is my first time lab ratting, so wasn’t quite sure if I would be contacted about my report or if it was on me to provide it - initially was expecting it to go on sale Saturday. Clearly it was on me…unfortunately trying to close on a new condo by July 8th meant that free time has become non-existent - fortunately there is always time to drink wine!!
Received a notice of delivery on Friday, and fortunately I was around and the bottle didn’t get stuck in the package room all weekend. Was pleasantly surprised to see a box from WCC that clearly contained a single bottle. After 200 odd bottles over the course of WW and CM, I finally managed to snag a rat! I received the 2012 version of this offering.
The future MIL was in town, so I had myself, my fiance, and her mom - all foodies and winey-wannabes. We were going out to dinner that night already and there were to be no at home meals this weekend, so it was enjoyed on it’s own (albeit with an unintentional slight overlap with dessert). For reference, I am a PS & Mourvèdre fan, my fiance tends to be a Pinot Noir & Grenache fan, and my future MIL seems to enjoy any good wine! It seemed a Zin would be a happy medium between us. I am generally not a (non-blended) Zin (or Merlot) fan, so I was up for a challenge!
I popped the bottle in the fridge for about 20 minutes and it was opened while I was doing laundry (without my awareness - screwtop made that easy), so poured out 5 minutes before I managed to get my hands on the glass. It was not particularly deep colored, but my personal color blindness means I won’t tell you what color it looks like to me, as that is meaningless to anyone else. It was definitely free of sediment.
At that 5 minute mark, it had a strong alcohol smell and a hint of pepperiness. I took a sip at that point, but decided it definitely need to open up. The general group feedback at that point was orange, pepper, and a bit of oakiness.
Waiting another 20 minutes (so it had been opened for 30 min and in the glass - a stemless Pinot Noir glass - for 25 min) the flavor shifted strongly to tart cherry. Two people said that almost at the exact same time and the third concurred. The strongly alcohol smell of initial was completely gone. The pepper stayed, but the orange seemed to have been lost to the tart cherry. The oak was still there, but not overly strong by any means.
I would happily have this with a pork chop or pasta dish (I was sad I didn’t have it during dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant - it would have gone well with the best vodka sauce I’ve had in my life). The consensus was this would be a good price at $25. So at $17 or $20, it is a steal. I would probably put it my the top 3 Zins - still in discussions with the fiance if this is a four bottle buy right now or not - unfortunately moving our already nearly 300 bottle collection is onerous as it is. I’m most excited to see if I can squeeze Meeker into my next Sonoma trip this Aug/Sept. Super excited to get a chance to try their Paddle blend they have on their website! But man…that’s adding 40 minutes to my already long Calistoga loop back through Yountville!
Thanks for the opportunity Casemates! I’ll happily accept any PS that you’ll throw my way. And I promise to be on-time with my report next offering!
@larsrulz As a Sonoma County winemaker, to me, Yountville is the detour, though admittedly Biali has game and Stag’s is worth a visit. But come on over from the Dark Side. Foppiano in the Russian River and Preston & Lytton Springs, just around the corner from Meeker, are among the local temples of worship for PS. IMHO the best are in Lake County and in Suisun Valley, and also the best values.
@winesmith surely you aren’t recommending I skip Bouchon?! My fiance also likes Hope and Grace Chards and is a member at Silenus by Oak Knoll, so a drive down St Helena is basically impossible to skip…
@larsrulz@winesmith agree on Foppiano, Preston and Lytton Springs! The Foppianos have been making excellent, age-worthy PS since the early 20th century. Nice folks, whom I’ve known most of my life.
@rpm@winesmith I’m adding these to my wishlist for Sept…unfortunately my fiance isn’t a big PS fan like me, so our Napa/Sonoma trips tend to be Pinot Noir trips with side hustles for PS when I can manage…the things you do for love!
@larsrulz@winesmith Took the words right out of my mouth. I wouldn’t skip Ridge either in this area in terms of good bedfellows to that list. The Biali PS are legit. My mom has been a big fan of the Foppiano PS since the late 90s. Good list.
@larsrulz Thanks for the feedback. If you can, give our wines 1-2 hours to open up if they’re on the younger side. Many of our wines drink better the next day if they’re less than 10 years from vintage year. We make very grape-tannin oriented wines that tend to feel a little bound up and tight when young because there’s no RS to cut the edge (like so much–most if not all–contemporary Zin).
The splash page and the notes do a good job setting expectations, but I really like to hammer this one home: this is not contemporary, post-Y2K Zin. This is post-prune-orchards, 1970s Dry Creek Zin. Think Italian-American basement wine: grape tannin driven, meant to be enjoyed with food, no residual sugar, legit tannins. Acidity a half notch higher than feels comfortable by itself (food, again). This is the pedigree of Zinfandel I grew up around. This is an old school style that is the opposite end of the spectrum from the old school style you’d find at Nalle.
These are wines that will continue to develop for at least another decade. For some context: I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go longer. About half of our 80s Zins still drink, and about 2/3 of the 90s.
@ejrunion Olallaberry is another spelling of Olallieberry, also known as marionberry. They’re a specific cross of blackberries that are particularly dark and tart.
As a kid, my grandparents (the ones who also farmed up here and had the propery across the falls from our first place) always took me to Polly’s Pies (an LA small chain of diners, think a local Marie Calender’s), and they had Olallaberry pie, and that’s how they spelled it. My grandma always got it, and eventually I did too. It was one of my favorite traditions growing up.
@rjquillin My memory is that both of these vintages were bottled in screwcaps with Saranex liners, which do transmit oxygen.
Because of the length of time we barrel age, our wines frequently go to bottle with incredibly low O2 concentrations. Low enough consistently that I don’t even test for it anymore, which can certainly make certain wines feel stagnant. That’s not the case with these, just from experience with how they’ve developed already.
Wines in Saran-tin and tin liners certainly age slower or much, much slower, but thair ability to develop isn’t entirely oxygen dependent. The type of liner, the condition of the wine at bottling (especially in regards to O2 and SO2), and the character/style to begin with all play important roles in determining how a wine might or might not develop. It’s tough to say what’s happening with a different wine, but the important take away is that there is not one factor that can determine it, though if it was a tin liner on a screwcap that would certainly be a big factor.
@lucasmeeker The thing I really adore about this style of Zin is that they age similarly to Mosel Riesling, acquiring that sexy bay leaf / machine oil bouquet that makes them go amazingly with duck a l’orange, porcinis and elderly cheeses. But you might need to wait a decade or more. The new clown wine style of Zin, by contrast, dies like a dog in the cellar.
@winesmith Absolutely. It’s hard to explain to people that Zins like ours aren’t terribly fruit forward. They can be when they’re very young, but to me the hallmark of these wines is a semi-intentional rustic-ness. The wines should feel bridled, not built, and only release a lot of that tension once they’re a good decade in bottle or so.
My apologies for the late rat report, I was totally blindsided by both the delivery and the sale day. I was already expecting my shipments of the Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and the Chateau Vieux Poirier Bordeaux but was surprised when a third shipment from WCC was waiting at my FedEx hold location as well. A single bottle seemed suspicious, but I’d assumed maybe I forgot about another order I had placed? I thought there would be some type of heads-up email communication when you are selected as a rat. It’s surprising WCC would just send a random bottle to someone without notifying them of the shipment and sale date info, at the very least. Needless to say, I was unprepared for my first ever ratting! I think I’ve been part of this community since around 2013 and have never been chosen - I’m excited!
I took my notes in the CMS deductive tasting format…
Initial PnP notes:
2012 Meeker Barrel Select Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
This wine is:
Sight: Clear, Medium concentration, Medium garnet in color, medium extract & tears
Nose: Moderate intensity, some age, some heat, red baked fruit, tobacco, wet stone, oak
Palate: Dry, heat, bright tart red fruit, blackberry, anise, pepper, oak
Medum+ tannins, medium acid, hot high alcohol, medium light body, lean body, medium finish, medium complexity
Initial conclusion:
Leans toward old world style, moderate to warm climate, USA, Cali, 3-5 yrs
45 mins after opening it’s beginning to open up, less heat, more fruit. This wine should have some years ahead of it to mature in the bottle.
Overall, it was enjoyable and I think priced well, especially at the per case price.
That’s all folks! Thanks Casemates for the opportunity to participate in the community. I promise to be better prepared and on-time for the next one now that I know what to expect!
@timnath For those curious, CMS is the Court of Master Sommeliers. I took my Level 1 sommelier certification through their program and there is a tasting grid they use to break down wine characteristics. Thanks @rjquillin for helping me with the official Lab Rat banner!
I just got back from a 9 day vacation to find a bottle of the 2014 waiting for me. Needless to say, I’m a bit late. Sorry all! These sound right up my alley, though, and would nicely complement my existing roster of Easton, Ridge, Scott Harvey, and other Zins that age well and aren’t fruit bombs.
That’s why we need advance checking on rat availability…
@Winedavid49
It’s less that I’m annoyed (because I’m not annoyed) and more that I feel bad that the offer is missing a rat. This one was covered, so nbd.
I also would hate for you and others to think I’d just nab a bottle without reporting in.
We had a blast! Luxembourg, Strasbourg/Alsace, and Lausanne. First time the two of us were away from the kiddo together overnight. We made it count
Meeker Barrel Select Zinfandel
Tasting Notes
Blackberry cobbler, olallaberry pie, rambunctious Dry Creek bramble, dusty July afternoons, spice cabinet, red dirt. Firm, rising mid-palate with a sloped plateau to a sweeping medium finish.
Vintage and Winemaker Notes
We’ve been making Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley for over 30 years, and we’ve spent that time honing our Zinfandel technique to a sharp point. Our goal is to make a Zinfandel that is unmistakably Dry Creek yet built on the foundation of old world wine chemistry–above average acidity, firm tannin, medium alcohol–and the aging potential that comes with those key attributes. Sub-50° F 11-day cold soak, tank fermented with pumpovers twice daily, 20 day cold ferment. Two week extended maceration.
Specifications
2012 Barrel Select Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
2014 Barrel Select Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
Included in the Box
Price Comparison
2012 & 2014: $481.45/case at The Meeker Vineyard (including shipping)
About The Winery
Winery: The Meeker Vineyard
Owner: Charlie, Molly Meeker and Family
Founded: 1984
Location: Geyersville, CA
Charles and Molly Meeker bought their first vineyard in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley in 1977, and thereafter, in 1984, established their winery – The Meeker Vineyard – with Charlie as the winemaker. In its early years, the winery specialized in Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.
The Meeker Vineyard tasting room is currently located in the 105-year-old Geyserville Bank building in the farm town of Geyserville, about six miles north of Healdsburg between Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys. In 2001, the Meeker tasting room was cited by The Wall Street Journal as one of the most enjoyable wine tasting experiences in all of Napa and Sonoma Counties.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, July 11th - Monday, July 15th
Meeker Barrel Select Zinfandel
4 bottles for $79.99 $20/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2012 Meeker Barrel Select Zinfandel
2014 Meeker Barrel Select Zinfandel
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Meeker Barrel Select Zinfandel - $40 = 16.66%
I’m buying in Los Angeles if anyone wants part of a case (I’m near LAX).
@reesai. I was going to, but then decided to be greedy and get a case for myself!
@MarkDaSpark No problem! I feel better about buying a case if I at least offer bottles to others.
@reesai I’ll take 6 if you are up to it.
@losthighwayz Sounds good. I’ll hold 6 for you.
Where the rats at?
We love DCV zins. Summer shipping + cases of wine in the basement with nowhere to store means no go for us. Seems like a good deal, average on CT is around $30/bottle.
From the “Included in the Box” above:
4-bottles:
2x 2012
2x 2014
Case:
6x 2012
6x 2016
Typo? Case would be 2012 and 2014?
Lab Rat Report
Only by chance was I home on Friday when Fedex dropped off, a bottle of Meeker 2014 Zin Barrel Select. Not knowing when the offer would surface, I stored it away in my temperature controlled Midwest basement (currently 62 degrees and 68% irh). This morning I saw the post and knew that I needed to post something by tonight. Work prevented me from drinking on the job.
Present for the tasting were jmd, +1 and the jmd+1 offspring, a brew meister. In the case of this bottle, there is no Pnp, more like UnP (unscrew and pour). Poured into a bordeaux glass. Looking at the wine with white paper behind it, it has a cranberry color, very clear, with no sediment. Maybe even a little pinot-like in color and clarity. Swirly/swirl reveals numerous long legs, with the entire inside of the glass resembling a veil or even the same way that fireworks cascade down. The rate of descent is moderate.
Sniffy-sniff: just alcohol and oak, possibly american. No fruit aromas at this point. It smells a little hot.
Initial tastings: as a consensus, we are picking up these glimpses of flavor: cranberry, maybe even pomegranate, plum, under ripe cherry, with a finish of pepper and a citrus-y zest. We aren’t sure if this is orange zest or grapefruit. There can be a close similarity between the two. We find there to be good acidity and some tartness. This is not a complex wine, but it has a good brightness to it.
After thirty minutes, the oak/alcohol smell has diminished when poured. The flavor profile remains about the same. I wish I could say that we would come back to it in an hour or two, but the bottle is empty. Always a good sign. We had a juicy 80/20 hamburger with this, but I think that this wine was better on its own. I can see this being preferred as a summer sipper. This wine has many years left in it, so either drink now or hold. Thumbs up as a buy.
Well, it’s my job to drink on the job. Unfortunately, I have not tasted this wine.
Nonetheless, I think you have here a daily double. On the one hand, though Zinfandel tends to have nice fruity aromatics, it tends to have grainy, graceless tannins. Nobody knows why, but this doesn’t happen in Dry Creek. It is THE place to make Bordeaux-style, beautifully structured, balanced, Eurocentric Zinfandel reminiscent of Tuscan Chianti Classico (a child of the Bordeaux style.) If you like power Zin, stay away. If you appreciate grace and balance, this should be a good bet.
Secondly, in an industry of fine people, the Meekers are among the best – personable, dedicated, knowledgeable, uncompromising, and a hell of a lot of fun to be around. I’m ordering this blind simply because it’s fun to support such fine folks who I know will not let me down.
@winesmith Well then…
/giphy bendy-pleasing-scarf
@winesmith Thanks for the kind words about my family Clark, it’s always nice to hear from another stalwart, and especially when it’s as nice as your comment. Moreso when it’s from one of the few people who have pushed harder on the boundaries of old-world-chemistry-new-world-wines than my dad did.
I’ve been meaning to introduce myself at some point, and I know our paths almost crossed a couple years ago, but please stop by the winery next time you’re in Healdsburg.
@winesmith
Good to see you here Clark.
Methinks this may preface an offer from you soon…?
@rjquillin Indeed. 2018 Grenache Dry Rose is next up. Stay tuned!
@lucasmeeker Certainly, Lucas. It will be a great pleasure.
@winesmith Sly dog!
Apologies as this is my first time lab ratting, so wasn’t quite sure if I would be contacted about my report or if it was on me to provide it - initially was expecting it to go on sale Saturday. Clearly it was on me…unfortunately trying to close on a new condo by July 8th meant that free time has become non-existent - fortunately there is always time to drink wine!!
Received a notice of delivery on Friday, and fortunately I was around and the bottle didn’t get stuck in the package room all weekend. Was pleasantly surprised to see a box from WCC that clearly contained a single bottle. After 200 odd bottles over the course of WW and CM, I finally managed to snag a rat! I received the 2012 version of this offering.
The future MIL was in town, so I had myself, my fiance, and her mom - all foodies and winey-wannabes. We were going out to dinner that night already and there were to be no at home meals this weekend, so it was enjoyed on it’s own (albeit with an unintentional slight overlap with dessert). For reference, I am a PS & Mourvèdre fan, my fiance tends to be a Pinot Noir & Grenache fan, and my future MIL seems to enjoy any good wine! It seemed a Zin would be a happy medium between us. I am generally not a (non-blended) Zin (or Merlot) fan, so I was up for a challenge!
I popped the bottle in the fridge for about 20 minutes and it was opened while I was doing laundry (without my awareness - screwtop made that easy), so poured out 5 minutes before I managed to get my hands on the glass. It was not particularly deep colored, but my personal color blindness means I won’t tell you what color it looks like to me, as that is meaningless to anyone else. It was definitely free of sediment.
At that 5 minute mark, it had a strong alcohol smell and a hint of pepperiness. I took a sip at that point, but decided it definitely need to open up. The general group feedback at that point was orange, pepper, and a bit of oakiness.
Waiting another 20 minutes (so it had been opened for 30 min and in the glass - a stemless Pinot Noir glass - for 25 min) the flavor shifted strongly to tart cherry. Two people said that almost at the exact same time and the third concurred. The strongly alcohol smell of initial was completely gone. The pepper stayed, but the orange seemed to have been lost to the tart cherry. The oak was still there, but not overly strong by any means.
I would happily have this with a pork chop or pasta dish (I was sad I didn’t have it during dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant - it would have gone well with the best vodka sauce I’ve had in my life). The consensus was this would be a good price at $25. So at $17 or $20, it is a steal. I would probably put it my the top 3 Zins - still in discussions with the fiance if this is a four bottle buy right now or not - unfortunately moving our already nearly 300 bottle collection is onerous as it is. I’m most excited to see if I can squeeze Meeker into my next Sonoma trip this Aug/Sept. Super excited to get a chance to try their Paddle blend they have on their website! But man…that’s adding 40 minutes to my already long Calistoga loop back through Yountville!
Thanks for the opportunity Casemates! I’ll happily accept any PS that you’ll throw my way. And I promise to be on-time with my report next offering!
@larsrulz As a Sonoma County winemaker, to me, Yountville is the detour, though admittedly Biali has game and Stag’s is worth a visit. But come on over from the Dark Side. Foppiano in the Russian River and Preston & Lytton Springs, just around the corner from Meeker, are among the local temples of worship for PS. IMHO the best are in Lake County and in Suisun Valley, and also the best values.
@winesmith surely you aren’t recommending I skip Bouchon?! My fiance also likes Hope and Grace Chards and is a member at Silenus by Oak Knoll, so a drive down St Helena is basically impossible to skip…
@larsrulz @winesmith agree on Foppiano, Preston and Lytton Springs! The Foppianos have been making excellent, age-worthy PS since the early 20th century. Nice folks, whom I’ve known most of my life.
@rpm @winesmith I’m adding these to my wishlist for Sept…unfortunately my fiance isn’t a big PS fan like me, so our Napa/Sonoma trips tend to be Pinot Noir trips with side hustles for PS when I can manage…the things you do for love!
@larsrulz @winesmith Took the words right out of my mouth. I wouldn’t skip Ridge either in this area in terms of good bedfellows to that list. The Biali PS are legit. My mom has been a big fan of the Foppiano PS since the late 90s. Good list.
@larsrulz Thanks for the feedback. If you can, give our wines 1-2 hours to open up if they’re on the younger side. Many of our wines drink better the next day if they’re less than 10 years from vintage year. We make very grape-tannin oriented wines that tend to feel a little bound up and tight when young because there’s no RS to cut the edge (like so much–most if not all–contemporary Zin).
@larsrulz @winesmith Also total brainfart that Lytton Springs is Ridge, duh.
Hi all, I’m here to answer questions!
The splash page and the notes do a good job setting expectations, but I really like to hammer this one home: this is not contemporary, post-Y2K Zin. This is post-prune-orchards, 1970s Dry Creek Zin. Think Italian-American basement wine: grape tannin driven, meant to be enjoyed with food, no residual sugar, legit tannins. Acidity a half notch higher than feels comfortable by itself (food, again). This is the pedigree of Zinfandel I grew up around. This is an old school style that is the opposite end of the spectrum from the old school style you’d find at Nalle.
These are wines that will continue to develop for at least another decade. For some context: I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go longer. About half of our 80s Zins still drink, and about 2/3 of the 90s.
@lucasmeeker Some great notes and participation here today.
Question: does your chosen closure allow for an OTR similar to a quality cork to allow for expected aging?
I’ve got some 2007 Buena Vista Carneros Syrah, also in a twist-off, that just doesn’t seem to be growing up at all.
@lucasmeeker It says “olallaberry pie” in your Tasting Notes. What does that mean? Is that a brand name that isn’t on the East coast?
@ejrunion Olallaberry is another spelling of Olallieberry, also known as marionberry. They’re a specific cross of blackberries that are particularly dark and tart.
As a kid, my grandparents (the ones who also farmed up here and had the propery across the falls from our first place) always took me to Polly’s Pies (an LA small chain of diners, think a local Marie Calender’s), and they had Olallaberry pie, and that’s how they spelled it. My grandma always got it, and eventually I did too. It was one of my favorite traditions growing up.
@rjquillin My memory is that both of these vintages were bottled in screwcaps with Saranex liners, which do transmit oxygen.
Because of the length of time we barrel age, our wines frequently go to bottle with incredibly low O2 concentrations. Low enough consistently that I don’t even test for it anymore, which can certainly make certain wines feel stagnant. That’s not the case with these, just from experience with how they’ve developed already.
Wines in Saran-tin and tin liners certainly age slower or much, much slower, but thair ability to develop isn’t entirely oxygen dependent. The type of liner, the condition of the wine at bottling (especially in regards to O2 and SO2), and the character/style to begin with all play important roles in determining how a wine might or might not develop. It’s tough to say what’s happening with a different wine, but the important take away is that there is not one factor that can determine it, though if it was a tin liner on a screwcap that would certainly be a big factor.
@ejrunion Correction, marionberry is a different cross, but it’s similar to marionberry in that it’s a specific type of blackberry.
Also i should add that I really like the Nalle wines, just trying to give context.
@lucasmeeker The thing I really adore about this style of Zin is that they age similarly to Mosel Riesling, acquiring that sexy bay leaf / machine oil bouquet that makes them go amazingly with duck a l’orange, porcinis and elderly cheeses. But you might need to wait a decade or more. The new clown wine style of Zin, by contrast, dies like a dog in the cellar.
@winesmith Absolutely. It’s hard to explain to people that Zins like ours aren’t terribly fruit forward. They can be when they’re very young, but to me the hallmark of these wines is a semi-intentional rustic-ness. The wines should feel bridled, not built, and only release a lot of that tension once they’re a good decade in bottle or so.
Hello Casemates!
My apologies for the late rat report, I was totally blindsided by both the delivery and the sale day. I was already expecting my shipments of the Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and the Chateau Vieux Poirier Bordeaux but was surprised when a third shipment from WCC was waiting at my FedEx hold location as well. A single bottle seemed suspicious, but I’d assumed maybe I forgot about another order I had placed? I thought there would be some type of heads-up email communication when you are selected as a rat. It’s surprising WCC would just send a random bottle to someone without notifying them of the shipment and sale date info, at the very least. Needless to say, I was unprepared for my first ever ratting! I think I’ve been part of this community since around 2013 and have never been chosen - I’m excited!
I took my notes in the CMS deductive tasting format…
Initial PnP notes:
2012 Meeker Barrel Select Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
This wine is:
Sight: Clear, Medium concentration, Medium garnet in color, medium extract & tears
Nose: Moderate intensity, some age, some heat, red baked fruit, tobacco, wet stone, oak
Palate: Dry, heat, bright tart red fruit, blackberry, anise, pepper, oak
Medum+ tannins, medium acid, hot high alcohol, medium light body, lean body, medium finish, medium complexity
Initial conclusion:
Leans toward old world style, moderate to warm climate, USA, Cali, 3-5 yrs
45 mins after opening it’s beginning to open up, less heat, more fruit. This wine should have some years ahead of it to mature in the bottle.
Overall, it was enjoyable and I think priced well, especially at the per case price.
That’s all folks! Thanks Casemates for the opportunity to participate in the community. I promise to be better prepared and on-time for the next one now that I know what to expect!
Cheers!
Hmm, not sure how to post the official Lab Rat banner with my report, any ideas out there?
@timnath For those curious, CMS is the Court of Master Sommeliers. I took my Level 1 sommelier certification through their program and there is a tasting grid they use to break down wine characteristics. Thanks @rjquillin for helping me with the official Lab Rat banner!
I just got back from a 9 day vacation to find a bottle of the 2014 waiting for me. Needless to say, I’m a bit late. Sorry all! These sound right up my alley, though, and would nicely complement my existing roster of Easton, Ridge, Scott Harvey, and other Zins that age well and aren’t fruit bombs.
That’s why we need advance checking on rat availability…
@klezman shit happens. We’ll keep you on the rotation. Enjoy the wine with our compliments, and expect to see another.
Hope you had fun.
@Winedavid49
It’s less that I’m annoyed (because I’m not annoyed) and more that I feel bad that the offer is missing a rat. This one was covered, so nbd.
I also would hate for you and others to think I’d just nab a bottle without reporting in.
We had a blast! Luxembourg, Strasbourg/Alsace, and Lausanne. First time the two of us were away from the kiddo together overnight. We made it count