A concentrated, intense dark berry and plum essence fills the nose and beckons the first sip, which hooks you. From that first sip, it’s apparent the wine is perfectly balanced and offers depth of flavors, thanks to the old-vine field-blend grapes. Rich black raspberry, dark plum and bright cherry are laced with just the right amount of black pepper spice and acidity. Savor a kiss of oak along with traces of mocha and dark chocolate. The wine’s structure plays a notable role, yet does it so seamlessly that you may not notice it. As the flavors linger, you start to long for the next sip.
Vinyard Notes
West Vineyard, planted in 1902, is a dry-farmed, head trained Zinfandel vineyard located on a hillside in the southeast corner of Dry Creek Valley. A traditional field-blend vineyard; a small portion is planted with 3% other red grapes (Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Mourvedre, Carignane and some others I’m not really sure about), as well as 0.5% white grapes (Semillon, Palomino and Chasselas). All the vines are harvested at the same time and all the varieties are co-fermented, which produces a smoother, fuller wine than separate fermentations and subsequent blending can give you.
A great wine to enjoy solo, it also pairs perfectly with ricotta eggplant roll-ups, or a juicy steak with a creamy peppercorn sauce and a side of French fries.
Specs
Vintage: 2016
Composition: 97% Zinfandel, 3% Field blend of mixed red (2.5%) and white (0.5%) grapes
Vineyard: West Vineyard
Appellation: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Harvest Date: September 11, 2016
Type of Oak: 38% new Hungarian oak barrels, 25% 2-year-old French oak barrels, 37% 4-8 year-old neutral oak barrels
Barrel Aging: 22 months
Bottling Date: July 19, 2018 (unfined & unfiltered)
Alcohol: 16.2%
pH: 3.38
Total Acidity: 0.72g/100ml
Production: 200 cases | 750ml
Closure Type: Screw cap - Ramondin - saranex liner
Release Date: April 2021
2016 Zinfandel, Bernier Zinyard, Dry Creek Valley
Tasting Notes
This Zin’s subtle approach lends to its sophistication and appeal. The nose presents Pinot-like qualities of earthy cherry and hints of rhubarb, but as it opens, the black pepper laced aromas let you know you’re about to sip a delicious Zinfandel. An easy entry of strawberry, red raspberry, plum and juicy cherry is joined mid-palate by a wave of spiciness—ground pepper and a touch of brown baking spices—and creamy mocha. The inviting, clean flavors provide a brightness that lingers on the palate.
Vinyard Notes
Why call it a Zinyard? Originally, long time Dry Creek Valley farmers Paul and Yael Bernier planted only Zinfandel on the hillside behind their house on Canyon Road on the northern end of the valley. To honor the traditions of many of the early Italian immigrant growers, as well as enhance the Zinfandel, they later planted a small block of Petite Sirah alongside the Zin, just above the row of peach and pear trees we sometimes enjoy while sampling the vines.
Although the Zinfandel vines were planted in 1990, the Bernier Zinyard makes old-time growers feel they are walking into the past when they stroll among the vines. It is a traditional dry-farmed, head-trained (non-trellised) vineyard with Italo Sbragio’s old clone Zin grafted on to St. George rootstock. This combination of influences embodies the very roots of Dry Creek Valley viticulture and reflects Peterson Winery’s values of savoring and embracing time-honored, traditional farming.
A great wine to pair with barbecued chicken, Mexican lasagna, or a Margherita pizza.
Specs
Vintage: 2016
Composition: 100% Bernier Zinyard
Appellation: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Varietal Breakdown: 95% Zinfandel and 5% Petite Sirah (Petite Sirah is co-fermented with Zinfandel)
Harvest Date: August 30, 2016
Cooperage: 22 months
Types of Oak: 100% 6-10 year-old neutral oak barrels
Bottling Date: July 12, 2018 (unfined & unfiltered)
Alcohol: 13.7%
pH: 3.70
Total Acidity: 0.64g/100ml
Production: 150 cases | 750ml bottles
Closure Type: Screw cap - Ramondin - saranex liner
Peterson Winery has been producing wine in Dry Creek Valley for 30 years and, like most wineries in the Valley, produces Zinfandel as well as other wines. Yet a closer look shows that is where the similarities end.
Owner Fred Peterson is an iconoclast with an old world winemaking philosophy and a reverence for sustainable farming. The Peterson approach is to capture the essence of vintage and vineyard—a philosophy they call Zero Manipulation—with low tech, yet high touch, to produce wines of a place, wines with soul. The evolution of Peterson wines and winemaking accelerated when Fred’s son Jamie became assistant winemaker in the summer of 2002. In 2006, after moving from the tiny red barn on Lytton Springs to Timber Crest Farms, Jamie was given the overall responsibilities as winemaker. As a winegrowing team, Fred and Jamie assess the grapes from each vineyard and vintage as the season progresses, evaluating how the weather, soil and site are interacting for the particular vintage.
At Peterson winery, the winemaking process begins while the grapes are still on the vines. Zero Manipulation is a discipline the Petersons follow to capture the character and balance of inherent in the grapes. Zero Manipulation means using the most gentle, traditional winemaking practices possible to maximize the flavors, aromatics and texture of the wines. Fred and Jamie celebrate vintage differences and don’t tweak or homogenize the wine to obtain consistency of flavors, a common practice in mass-market wineries. For Fred and Jamie, Peterson Winery is all about the wines. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll see the heart and soul that goes into every bottle.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, RI, SC, 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)
2016 Peterson Single Vineyard Zinfandels - $60 = 24.99%
@klezman@rjquillin I’m with you on the octane, but I’m afraid we may be getting accustomed to it. It’s not just here in the US, either. They’re having the same problem in France and elsewhere, for the same reason: climate change. I guess the deniers aren’t wine drinkers. That said, the Bernier Zinyard version has the lowest ABV in recent memory, especially for a Zin.
@ddeuddeg@rjquillin I’ve been drinking a fair number of older Ravenswood wines from the 90s and early 00s. Most of them are in the 13-14.5% range. They’re also amazing with 15-30 years of age on them!
We were delighted to see a Zinfandel (Ours was from the Bernier Zinyard.) in the box we received a few days ago, with an opportunity to plan a meal that would work with the wine. Knowing how much we typically enjoy Zin with salmon (thanks, rpm), we went ahead with that as the main course. With that in place, we realized the necessity to use some of the huge stock of vegetables we’re accumulating in our first-ever participation in a CSA. So, the meal led off with a creamy lettuce soup (you read it right, lettuce soup). Then, the salmon filet with a light rub of soy sauce, broiled and topped with a mustard dill sauce, accompanied by cue ball zucchini stuffed with sauteed squash, whole wheat couscous, cherry tomatoes, and pesto made with basil from our CSA farmers (Recipes available on request).
Wait, this is supposed to be a wine review. Here goes: upon opening, a subdued nose, but the first taste offered everything we’ve learned to expect in a Dry Creek Zinfandel, lush dark fruit, cherries and blackberries, with a hint of spice. This one had just the right amount of pepper to complement the soup, which also had a generous amount of pepper (or vice versa). A most unexpected outcome. With the rest of the meal, the wine showed remarkable versatility, working really well with everything on the plate.
Full disclosure: We are major Zin lovers, with Zinfandel listed as the number one varietal in our CT listing. This wine had everything we like in a Zin, dry with plenty of fruit up front, and not the heat we’ve been seeing recently (13.7% ABV). A most enjoyable wine at a very reasonable price. We have to buy some, partly because we liked this one, but we also need to see how the other one compares, with some major differences in the aging profile and the alcohol level.
Alcohol and extract/sweetness generally are the things that win medals. If we had left a percent or two of residual sugar, we might have even won the sweepstakes…
We like to think they both have their time and place.
And hopefully the 16%er for more than just winning golds, and hand-to-hand combat.
@ddeuddeg My mother used to make a BLT soup: she’d simultaneously pour lettuce soup into one side of a soup bowl and tomato soup into the other side. The soups were thick enough so that they’d meet in the center without mixing. Bacon bits sprinkled on top finished it off.
ddeuddeg and I had the pleasure of ratting the 2016 Peterson Zinfandel, Bernier Zinyard, Dry Creek Valley. No, that is NOT a typo! The label actually says, “Bernier Zinyard.” Upon opening and pouring, this wine exhibited your typical Zinfandel characteristics of a deep ruby color and on the nose, deep red fruits such as black cherry and fig, and that ever-present peppery note. Had I been blindfolded, I would have been able to pin this as a Zin. It had a certain boldness to start and then, mellowed a bit as we continued with our meal.
Besides our normal urban garden, we decided to join a CSA and also, try to support our local farmers’ markets. So, we have a ton of veggies in the house and are trying to use them in larger quantities. What do you do when you have 1.5 pounds of head lettuce? You make lettuce soup! Seriously. There is such a thing! It is a rather light soup with a bit of nutmeg, which paired perfectly with the Zin! ddeuddeg is providing more detail on the Cue Ball/8-Ball Squash and Broiled Salmon. Again, there wasn’t a bad pairing on the plate! We’re always happy to share recipes. Just ask!
This is a beautifully made, well-balanced wine and really is a good QPR. I’m afraid that even though we love wines from the Dry Creek Valley, we are not that familiar with this winery. We are happy to support a small-production winery. We look forward to trying the Tradizionale.
2016 Peterson Tradizionale Zinfandel, West Vineyard
After a false start of a Lab Rat shipment two weeks ago (label created but wine did not arrive at WCC in time – I should press Alice about satisfying that label creation so it clears from my UPS notices), I finally received a shipment last Wednesday. I had just been to the UPS store (among other errands) to retrieve two wine shipments the day before, and I didn’t know when this offer would go live until the bottle was already on the truck (and too late to redirect), so the bottle temperature was rather warm (low-to-mid 90s) by the time it arrived at our house at 8pm. I was surprised to find an empty slot in my wine fridge (probably the only one) and stick it in to rest and cool.
I was pleased to see a bottle of 2016 Peterson Tradizionale Zinfandel, West Vineyard. I did not purchase the mixed single-vineyard Peterson Zinfandels offered on 12/21/2020 (https://casemates.com/forum/topics/peterson-single-vineyard-zinfandels) which included the 2015 Tradizionale, but had purchased the Tollini Vineyard Mixed Reds from the 10/5/2020 offer and found them enjoyable (good value, but not overly memorable). As the Tollini wines were in the $18-20 (winery) price range, and the Tradizionale is $36, I had higher expectations (and was not disappointed).
So much for short introductions. The winery suggested dry rubbed smoked ribs as an accompaniment, so I pulled some leftovers out of the freezer and had them ready to go this past Monday evening. We set up on our gazebo among the hummingbirds (more on them in the next note) on a comfortable evening. I should mentioned that I had opened a recent 2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Zin purchase the night before. I opened the Peterson about an hour before dinner. Upon unscrew-and-pour, I picked up quite a bit of alcohol on the nose (and initial taste) which sent me looking at the label, and finding the 16.2% confirmed my suspicion. My wife immediately said that she like the (SH) wine from the night before better. I noticed that the wine strongly coated the glass with very strong legs, “a viscous (not vicious) dog” to repeat some notes on the 2015). After 30 minutes or so the Peterson smoothed out considerably. I was getting very dark fruit (some cherry among them), spice, pepper, and chocolate. It was by no means a fruit bomb zin, but was very well integrated with a lot of depth. As the evening progressed and I poured some of the SH for comparison, I found myself liking the Peterson better (as the SH seemed a bit more astringent, but to be fair the Peterson has had 2 more years to age so the SH will certainly improve). To put things on a musical spectrum, the SH seemed to be emphasizing the highs, while the Peterson seemed to be more full spectrum. (Again, this is NOT a put-down of SH, which I highly regard!). I read the winery’s description of the 2015 which said “layers upon layers of berries—blackberry, black raspberry, raspberry, dried strawberry and blueberry, plus a little dark cherry” and I found that to be accurate.
On day 2 (Tuesday night), my wife asked if I wanted to have some (in the freezer from Father’s Day, very rich) braised short ribs for dinner, to which I agreed. She decided to finish some salmon from our “on the gazebo” dinner on Saturday night (mentioned in the “What Are You Drinking Tonight” thread.) She cooked up some pan-fried vegetables to accompany. The Peterson (open for 1 day) seemed a bit smoother than the SH (open for 2 days) and complemented the food very well. Again, the SH seemed a bit more tart, but had improved over time. I found myself a bit concerned about what the next day’s (for me, as I am in bed before the next offer goes live) offer might come in at, as I will likely be tempted to ignore my overflowing storage space and buy more wine.
Thanks again to Alice, WCC, and the winery for the opportunity to sample this delicious wine!
Just to add about the hummingbirds. We have had a lot of them this year (have seen 10 at once spread among our three feeders, with others flying around). It is amazing to watch their behavior. They challenge, joust, and cooperate to get a drink of the nectar, as we listen to the buzz of their wings (they would be more appropriately named “buzzingbirds”) and “chirps” as they scold another bird for being there. We see a variety of colors, but there are none which we can recognize as repeat visitors except for one (we have dubbed “Mephibosheth”) with an injured leg that dangles below which we have seen the last two evenings.
@WCCWineGirl I actually looked for a Pedroncelli Zin, thinking that it might be closer in year (and region) to the Peterson. Alas, it appears that I have been to forward in consuming my Pedroncelli (but at least I have hopes of being able to replenish them – I was NOT going to sacrifice a Wellington for the sake of comparison!).
Hi all - just a quick check-in from a beautiful foggy morning here in the DCV. Thanks to WCC and Casemates for featuring us, and to everyone for supporting the wines!
Between prepping for bottling next week and interviewing potential harvest interns, I’ll pop in and try and answer any questions, and keep the smartass/dumbass dad jokes to a minimum.
Couple quick notes on the wines, that maybe will inspire discussion -
Both are sealed with screwcap. I chose to go with screwcap on (most of) our Zins beginning with the 2014 vintage. After trials on the 2010’s, we realized that preserving the fruit inherent in them was a priority. While we don’t try to make fruit bomb wines, Zin really is most known for leading with fruitiness, and we found that screwcap kept that best after a few years. The wines still develop and soften under SC… just a little slower… but since all our wines are in barrel for nearly 2 years and bottled unfiltered, bottle age is less important than for many producers on the 10-month barrel track.
That Old Vine Owl label 16%er was picked almost two weeks after the more elegant Swan label Zin… and still has over 10% higher natural acidity - one of the challenges and blessings of dry farmed old vines. In hindsight, we probably could have run the ol’ “Jesus Units” machine (the water hose…) a little longer to bring down both the sugar and acidity. The grapes were not as raisined as one would think though, given the numbers; the post harvest water addition is somewhat of an art form, and diluting the flavors is what we definitely don’t want.
While higher octane than the other wines, and what we might aim for as an ideal wine by-the-numbers, the hope is it still achieves a balance and is pleasing to all parts of the palate… Without even having to stretch the truth of what ABV is printed on the label cough cough
Thanks for the review. Also I always enjoy seeing (hearing) a different perspective on how to describe flavors. I thought the musicalspectrum description accentuates the review with a new refreshing tone.
EDIT, this was intended as a reply to the @Mark_L review
I would love to have the Bernier Vineyard Zin, but I just can’t get my head around the16.2% Tradizionale Zin. I suppose it might be possible to make a Zin with that high an alcohol level that doesn’t taste like Everclear with prunes, but I’m not sufficiently curious to spend $80 to find out….
@rpm well this is a bit disrespectful to the rat above, don’t you think? Mark_L never mentioned everclear and seems like he enjoyed the wine. If not disrespectful then certainly comes across as pompous. Just an observation.
@losthighwayz@rpm After the wine had been open for a while, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m just waiting to see if I have the will power to resist ordering a case.
@losthighwayz@rpm Just to add, I hold rpm and his opinions in the deepest regard. I highly value his input to this site. If I end up ordering this offer, I would love the chance to share a bottle with him!
@douglasp60@LambruscoKid@Winedavid49 I like this feature well. Would be cool if you could to just tag @pdx_nudge which would generate an email to anyone who signed up to receive alert under that handle
@Turner103200@losthiwayz I think you guys need to take a deep breath.
rpm stated an opinion based on his many years of tasting wine and his (well noted) distaste for high alcohol wines. He is not a moderator, he’s simply a valued contributor to this community.
I stated my opinion based on my experience with a prior vintage. I didn’t think it tasted overly alcoholic (you can check my CT notes for verification) but the higher alcohol bottlings were simply not to my taste.
Neither of those opinions denigrate the lab rat nor the wine. If you disagree with an opinion, then that’s cool. But I don’t see why y’all are so quick to level ad hominem attacks.
@klezman@Turner103200 sorry Klez but I disagree. @Rpm is worshipped by many on here, you included, and is given carte blanche in my opinion. The wine world is evolving and though I appreciate his knowledge and old school views I think it is ultimately a diservice to newbies when wines outside his (and yours to an extent) preconceived parameters are dismissed. I have had plenty of high alcohol wines that I have enjoyed. Conversely, I have had low alcohol wines that were terrible. In sum, to summarily dismiss today’s high alcohol wine without acknowledging a fellow rat’s observation smells of snobbism to me.
@losthighwayz@Turner103200 I don’t want to argue with either of you. As others have pointed out below, the entire purpose of the forum and the community of us wine nerds behind it is to discuss our opinions about the offers and anything else we so please.
I don’t care if your opinion is different from rpm’s. I don’t care if mine is different from his or yours or anybody else’s. It’s an opinion, not a statement of fact. There’s still no need to attack anybody or claim that community members are somehow unethically “pushing” people toward or away from a purchase.
As for my specific opinions on the specific issue of alcohol levels: I’ve found, through experimentation, that my enjoyment of wines tends to significantly decrease when wine gets above 15.25%, give or take. Obviously it’s not a hard and fast rule - but I’ve tended to not enjoy some highly-enjoyed wines from generally favoured wineries like Stillman Brown/Zeppelin. For me, the bitterness of the alcohol starts to take over and detract from the rest of the wine. Obviously YMMV. That’s the point.
I never claimed anyone on here is trying to push sales
I did not attack anyone but simply made an observation that rpm undermined a rat whether intended or not. Often times many of us are unaware of our unintended actions unless someone points out.
That being said, why do you (or anyone else) feel the need to speak on rpm’s behalf? A bit strange to me. We are all adults here and should speak up for ourselves.
@losthighwayz@Turner103200 thanks for helping bring the temperature down.
I’m not defending rpm per se. I’m reacting to what seem like personal attacks rather than open discussion. That’s really all. Lost, you know me and you know I like a good debate, but never at the expense of attacking others.
Let’s not beat around the bush. Those that have been long time members realize how things have changed and how certain individuals try to push sells. Period. I still recommend friends to this site and I myself value it and purchase from it quite frequently. Let’s just stop the persuading of purchases and “dismissing” the opinion’s of the rats…whether it be positive or negative.
@Turner103200
The forum function and ability to share one’s perspective is (in my opinion) what separates this platform from all the others.
Sure, that can be a double edged sword, but many of us have been able to discern one person’s palate from another and ultimately the honest feedback helps many people decide whether or not an offer might be their cup of tea.
Winery participation (usually) helps as well.
I think @Winedavid49 understands this more than anyone and that’s why he’s been so successful at robbing us of all our money.
OK: I’m not a Somalia nor am I an ‘Expert’, but from my 1st purchase of - PETERSON WINERY MENDOCINO COUNTY BARBERA 2019, we have been very pleased with every purchase going forward, and we did love the 2015 Peterson Zinfandel, Bernier Zinyard, Dry Creek Valley. Now I don’t get the alcohol ‘thing’; maybe it’s because I Love a good Bombay Safire Gin & Tonic (heavy on the Gin) but to each their own.
For us Peterson is an Autobuy: just like Wellington was, and WineSmith & Two Jake’s Is. In for a case -bendy-evanescent-wall Peace Out!!
As my wife says, there’s no accounting for taste. I quite enjoyed the Zin 4-pack, but the Tradizionale knocked my socks off (in a good way). In for a case.
These high temps appear to be afflicting us all. One of the best things about wine (and many forms of entertainment) is that no one product needs to please all, while there are still objective standards of craft and subjective ones of value.
I don’t write here too often but it’s great when people express their biases because it informs reviews.
@Springbank Sitting out for now, sorry. Overloaded and still smarting from the random cases. Drank a glass of the Merlot I got last night and dumped out the bottle.
@pupator@Springbank You speaking of the random import case? I poured out 4 of the 6, the other two were fine…never again…jealous of those in the Twisted Oak random case, so no more mysteries for me, but will consider randoms from the right producer!
@pupator@Springbank I popped open the merlot I got and while it wasn’t what I wanted, it wasn’t exactly terrible? I’m hoping there’s some diamonds in the rough in my mystery case…
The first bottle of Caliterra Cab tasted and smelled of burning rubber. Opened the second and it started out OK, but developed the same acrid notes the second day. I thought the Altue was drinkable, but barely. The Crémant was pretty good, at least my wife loved it. One out of three is not good. Don’t think I’ll be in on a mystery case again.
2016 Zinfandel Tradizionale, Dry Creek Valley
Double Gold, 96 points ~ 2020 Harvest Terroir Challenge
Tasting Notes
Vinyard Notes
Specs
2016 Zinfandel, Bernier Zinyard, Dry Creek Valley
Tasting Notes
Vinyard Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$414/Case at Peterson Winery for 6x 2016 Zinfandel Tradizionale, Dry Creek Valley and 6x 2016 Zinfandel, Bernier Zinyard
Not for sale online, $324/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, RI, SC, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Jul 29 - Monday, Aug 2
Peterson Single Vineyard Zinfandels
4 bottles for $79.99 $20/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $179.99 $15/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2016 Peterson Zinfandel Tradizionale
2016 Peterson Zinfandel, Bernier Zinyard
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016 Peterson Single Vineyard Zinfandels - $60 = 24.99%
@klezman
curious, did you rat the '15’s, or make a purchase?
@rjquillin I purchased based on the winery discussion. Too high octane for me, despite the assurances otherwise. You can see my notes on CT.
@klezman @rjquillin I’m with you on the octane, but I’m afraid we may be getting accustomed to it. It’s not just here in the US, either. They’re having the same problem in France and elsewhere, for the same reason: climate change. I guess the deniers aren’t wine drinkers. That said, the Bernier Zinyard version has the lowest ABV in recent memory, especially for a Zin.
@ddeuddeg @rjquillin I’ve been drinking a fair number of older Ravenswood wines from the 90s and early 00s. Most of them are in the 13-14.5% range. They’re also amazing with 15-30 years of age on them!
2016 Zinfandel, Bernier Zinyard, Dry Creek Valley
We were delighted to see a Zinfandel (Ours was from the Bernier Zinyard.) in the box we received a few days ago, with an opportunity to plan a meal that would work with the wine. Knowing how much we typically enjoy Zin with salmon (thanks, rpm), we went ahead with that as the main course. With that in place, we realized the necessity to use some of the huge stock of vegetables we’re accumulating in our first-ever participation in a CSA. So, the meal led off with a creamy lettuce soup (you read it right, lettuce soup). Then, the salmon filet with a light rub of soy sauce, broiled and topped with a mustard dill sauce, accompanied by cue ball zucchini stuffed with sauteed squash, whole wheat couscous, cherry tomatoes, and pesto made with basil from our CSA farmers (Recipes available on request).
Wait, this is supposed to be a wine review. Here goes: upon opening, a subdued nose, but the first taste offered everything we’ve learned to expect in a Dry Creek Zinfandel, lush dark fruit, cherries and blackberries, with a hint of spice. This one had just the right amount of pepper to complement the soup, which also had a generous amount of pepper (or vice versa). A most unexpected outcome. With the rest of the meal, the wine showed remarkable versatility, working really well with everything on the plate.
Full disclosure: We are major Zin lovers, with Zinfandel listed as the number one varietal in our CT listing. This wine had everything we like in a Zin, dry with plenty of fruit up front, and not the heat we’ve been seeing recently (13.7% ABV). A most enjoyable wine at a very reasonable price. We have to buy some, partly because we liked this one, but we also need to see how the other one compares, with some major differences in the aging profile and the alcohol level.
@ddeuddeg That 13.7% alcohol is much more enticing than the 16% of the other one. Sounds like something I’d like.
@klezman Totally. Yet the high octane one is the one with the “double gold.”
@ddeuddeg @klezman
Alcohol and extract/sweetness generally are the things that win medals. If we had left a percent or two of residual sugar, we might have even won the sweepstakes…
We like to think they both have their time and place.
And hopefully the 16%er for more than just winning golds, and hand-to-hand combat.
@ddeuddeg My mother used to make a BLT soup: she’d simultaneously pour lettuce soup into one side of a soup bowl and tomato soup into the other side. The soups were thick enough so that they’d meet in the center without mixing. Bacon bits sprinkled on top finished it off.
But I don’t recall what wine is was paired with.
@ddeuddeg thank you for the report & the meal sounded amazing.
2016 Zinfandel, Bernier Zinyard, Dry Creek Valley
ddeuddeg and I had the pleasure of ratting the 2016 Peterson Zinfandel, Bernier Zinyard, Dry Creek Valley. No, that is NOT a typo! The label actually says, “Bernier Zinyard.” Upon opening and pouring, this wine exhibited your typical Zinfandel characteristics of a deep ruby color and on the nose, deep red fruits such as black cherry and fig, and that ever-present peppery note. Had I been blindfolded, I would have been able to pin this as a Zin. It had a certain boldness to start and then, mellowed a bit as we continued with our meal.
Besides our normal urban garden, we decided to join a CSA and also, try to support our local farmers’ markets. So, we have a ton of veggies in the house and are trying to use them in larger quantities. What do you do when you have 1.5 pounds of head lettuce? You make lettuce soup! Seriously. There is such a thing! It is a rather light soup with a bit of nutmeg, which paired perfectly with the Zin! ddeuddeg is providing more detail on the Cue Ball/8-Ball Squash and Broiled Salmon. Again, there wasn’t a bad pairing on the plate! We’re always happy to share recipes. Just ask!
This is a beautifully made, well-balanced wine and really is a good QPR. I’m afraid that even though we love wines from the Dry Creek Valley, we are not that familiar with this winery. We are happy to support a small-production winery. We look forward to trying the Tradizionale.
2016 Peterson Tradizionale Zinfandel, West Vineyard
After a false start of a Lab Rat shipment two weeks ago (label created but wine did not arrive at WCC in time – I should press Alice about satisfying that label creation so it clears from my UPS notices), I finally received a shipment last Wednesday. I had just been to the UPS store (among other errands) to retrieve two wine shipments the day before, and I didn’t know when this offer would go live until the bottle was already on the truck (and too late to redirect), so the bottle temperature was rather warm (low-to-mid 90s) by the time it arrived at our house at 8pm. I was surprised to find an empty slot in my wine fridge (probably the only one) and stick it in to rest and cool.
I was pleased to see a bottle of 2016 Peterson Tradizionale Zinfandel, West Vineyard. I did not purchase the mixed single-vineyard Peterson Zinfandels offered on 12/21/2020 (https://casemates.com/forum/topics/peterson-single-vineyard-zinfandels) which included the 2015 Tradizionale, but had purchased the Tollini Vineyard Mixed Reds from the 10/5/2020 offer and found them enjoyable (good value, but not overly memorable). As the Tollini wines were in the $18-20 (winery) price range, and the Tradizionale is $36, I had higher expectations (and was not disappointed).
So much for short introductions. The winery suggested dry rubbed smoked ribs as an accompaniment, so I pulled some leftovers out of the freezer and had them ready to go this past Monday evening. We set up on our gazebo among the hummingbirds (more on them in the next note) on a comfortable evening. I should mentioned that I had opened a recent 2018 Scott Harvey Mountain Zin purchase the night before. I opened the Peterson about an hour before dinner. Upon unscrew-and-pour, I picked up quite a bit of alcohol on the nose (and initial taste) which sent me looking at the label, and finding the 16.2% confirmed my suspicion. My wife immediately said that she like the (SH) wine from the night before better. I noticed that the wine strongly coated the glass with very strong legs, “a viscous (not vicious) dog” to repeat some notes on the 2015). After 30 minutes or so the Peterson smoothed out considerably. I was getting very dark fruit (some cherry among them), spice, pepper, and chocolate. It was by no means a fruit bomb zin, but was very well integrated with a lot of depth. As the evening progressed and I poured some of the SH for comparison, I found myself liking the Peterson better (as the SH seemed a bit more astringent, but to be fair the Peterson has had 2 more years to age so the SH will certainly improve). To put things on a musical spectrum, the SH seemed to be emphasizing the highs, while the Peterson seemed to be more full spectrum. (Again, this is NOT a put-down of SH, which I highly regard!). I read the winery’s description of the 2015 which said “layers upon layers of berries—blackberry, black raspberry, raspberry, dried strawberry and blueberry, plus a little dark cherry” and I found that to be accurate.
On day 2 (Tuesday night), my wife asked if I wanted to have some (in the freezer from Father’s Day, very rich) braised short ribs for dinner, to which I agreed. She decided to finish some salmon from our “on the gazebo” dinner on Saturday night (mentioned in the “What Are You Drinking Tonight” thread.) She cooked up some pan-fried vegetables to accompany. The Peterson (open for 1 day) seemed a bit smoother than the SH (open for 2 days) and complemented the food very well. Again, the SH seemed a bit more tart, but had improved over time. I found myself a bit concerned about what the next day’s (for me, as I am in bed before the next offer goes live) offer might come in at, as I will likely be tempted to ignore my overflowing storage space and buy more wine.
Thanks again to Alice, WCC, and the winery for the opportunity to sample this delicious wine!
Just to add about the hummingbirds. We have had a lot of them this year (have seen 10 at once spread among our three feeders, with others flying around). It is amazing to watch their behavior. They challenge, joust, and cooperate to get a drink of the nectar, as we listen to the buzz of their wings (they would be more appropriately named “buzzingbirds”) and “chirps” as they scold another bird for being there. We see a variety of colors, but there are none which we can recognize as repeat visitors except for one (we have dubbed “Mephibosheth”) with an injured leg that dangles below which we have seen the last two evenings.
@Mark_L Thank you for the rattage. Love the comparison to SH too. Super interesting. Looks like both wines pair well with hummingbirds.
@WCCWineGirl I actually looked for a Pedroncelli Zin, thinking that it might be closer in year (and region) to the Peterson. Alas, it appears that I have been to forward in consuming my Pedroncelli (but at least I have hopes of being able to replenish them – I was NOT going to sacrifice a Wellington for the sake of comparison!).
Hi all - just a quick check-in from a beautiful foggy morning here in the DCV. Thanks to WCC and Casemates for featuring us, and to everyone for supporting the wines!
Between prepping for bottling next week and interviewing potential harvest interns, I’ll pop in and try and answer any questions, and keep the smartass/dumbass dad jokes to a minimum.
Couple quick notes on the wines, that maybe will inspire discussion -
Both are sealed with screwcap. I chose to go with screwcap on (most of) our Zins beginning with the 2014 vintage. After trials on the 2010’s, we realized that preserving the fruit inherent in them was a priority. While we don’t try to make fruit bomb wines, Zin really is most known for leading with fruitiness, and we found that screwcap kept that best after a few years. The wines still develop and soften under SC… just a little slower… but since all our wines are in barrel for nearly 2 years and bottled unfiltered, bottle age is less important than for many producers on the 10-month barrel track.
That Old Vine Owl label 16%er was picked almost two weeks after the more elegant Swan label Zin… and still has over 10% higher natural acidity - one of the challenges and blessings of dry farmed old vines. In hindsight, we probably could have run the ol’ “Jesus Units” machine (the water hose…) a little longer to bring down both the sugar and acidity. The grapes were not as raisined as one would think though, given the numbers; the post harvest water addition is somewhat of an art form, and diluting the flavors is what we definitely don’t want.
While higher octane than the other wines, and what we might aim for as an ideal wine by-the-numbers, the hope is it still achieves a balance and is pleasing to all parts of the palate… Without even having to stretch the truth of what ABV is printed on the label cough cough
Thanks for the review. Also I always enjoy seeing (hearing) a different perspective on how to describe flavors. I thought the musical spectrum description accentuates the review with a new refreshing tone.
EDIT, this was intended as a reply to the @Mark_L review
I would love to have the Bernier Vineyard Zin, but I just can’t get my head around the16.2% Tradizionale Zin. I suppose it might be possible to make a Zin with that high an alcohol level that doesn’t taste like Everclear with prunes, but I’m not sufficiently curious to spend $80 to find out….
@rpm Agreed I’d have to go in on a Bernier-only offer. This is an easy pass for me - especially after having sampled the 2015s from the last offer.
@rpm well this is a bit disrespectful to the rat above, don’t you think? Mark_L never mentioned everclear and seems like he enjoyed the wine. If not disrespectful then certainly comes across as pompous. Just an observation.
@losthighwayz @rpm After the wine had been open for a while, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m just waiting to see if I have the will power to resist ordering a case.
@losthighwayz @rpm Just to add, I hold rpm and his opinions in the deepest regard. I highly value his input to this site. If I end up ordering this offer, I would love the chance to share a bottle with him!
Any pdx splits out there?
@douglasp60 just gave some more PDX people a nudge. we’ll see!
@douglasp60 @Winedavid49 I need to sit this one out, but I do like the “nudge” feature, first I’ve seen it. Is that a new thing?
@douglasp60 @LambruscoKid @Winedavid49 I like this feature well. Would be cool if you could to just tag @pdx_nudge which would generate an email to anyone who signed up to receive alert under that handle
@douglasp60 @jfuruno @LambruscoKid if i see someone wanting a split in a given region, i’ll try to get an email out.
@douglasp60 @jfuruno @LambruscoKid @Winedavid49 sorry moving in a month but great idea!
@douglasp60 @LambruscoKid @Winedavid49 What an unexpected email! I have to sit this one out, but I’d be interested in future splits.
I agree with lost. Seems like we are here, once again, trying to discount the rat to the moderators opinions.
@Turner103200 @losthiwayz I think you guys need to take a deep breath.
rpm stated an opinion based on his many years of tasting wine and his (well noted) distaste for high alcohol wines. He is not a moderator, he’s simply a valued contributor to this community.
I stated my opinion based on my experience with a prior vintage. I didn’t think it tasted overly alcoholic (you can check my CT notes for verification) but the higher alcohol bottlings were simply not to my taste.
Neither of those opinions denigrate the lab rat nor the wine. If you disagree with an opinion, then that’s cool. But I don’t see why y’all are so quick to level ad hominem attacks.
@klezman @Turner103200 sorry Klez but I disagree. @Rpm is worshipped by many on here, you included, and is given carte blanche in my opinion. The wine world is evolving and though I appreciate his knowledge and old school views I think it is ultimately a diservice to newbies when wines outside his (and yours to an extent) preconceived parameters are dismissed. I have had plenty of high alcohol wines that I have enjoyed. Conversely, I have had low alcohol wines that were terrible. In sum, to summarily dismiss today’s high alcohol wine without acknowledging a fellow rat’s observation smells of snobbism to me.
@losthighwayz @Turner103200 I don’t want to argue with either of you. As others have pointed out below, the entire purpose of the forum and the community of us wine nerds behind it is to discuss our opinions about the offers and anything else we so please.
I don’t care if your opinion is different from rpm’s. I don’t care if mine is different from his or yours or anybody else’s. It’s an opinion, not a statement of fact. There’s still no need to attack anybody or claim that community members are somehow unethically “pushing” people toward or away from a purchase.
As for my specific opinions on the specific issue of alcohol levels: I’ve found, through experimentation, that my enjoyment of wines tends to significantly decrease when wine gets above 15.25%, give or take. Obviously it’s not a hard and fast rule - but I’ve tended to not enjoy some highly-enjoyed wines from generally favoured wineries like Stillman Brown/Zeppelin. For me, the bitterness of the alcohol starts to take over and detract from the rest of the wine. Obviously YMMV. That’s the point.
@klezman @Turner103200 fair points. To clarify:
I never claimed anyone on here is trying to push sales
I did not attack anyone but simply made an observation that rpm undermined a rat whether intended or not. Often times many of us are unaware of our unintended actions unless someone points out.
That being said, why do you (or anyone else) feel the need to speak on rpm’s behalf? A bit strange to me. We are all adults here and should speak up for ourselves.
@losthighwayz @Turner103200 thanks for helping bring the temperature down.
I’m not defending rpm per se. I’m reacting to what seem like personal attacks rather than open discussion. That’s really all. Lost, you know me and you know I like a good debate, but never at the expense of attacking others.
Let’s not beat around the bush. Those that have been long time members realize how things have changed and how certain individuals try to push sells. Period. I still recommend friends to this site and I myself value it and purchase from it quite frequently. Let’s just stop the persuading of purchases and “dismissing” the opinion’s of the rats…whether it be positive or negative.
@Turner103200
The forum function and ability to share one’s perspective is (in my opinion) what separates this platform from all the others.
Sure, that can be a double edged sword, but many of us have been able to discern one person’s palate from another and ultimately the honest feedback helps many people decide whether or not an offer might be their cup of tea.
Winery participation (usually) helps as well.
I think @Winedavid49 understands this more than anyone and that’s why he’s been so successful at robbing us of all our money.
OK: I’m not a Somalia nor am I an ‘Expert’, but from my 1st purchase of - PETERSON WINERY MENDOCINO COUNTY BARBERA 2019, we have been very pleased with every purchase going forward, and we did love the 2015 Peterson Zinfandel, Bernier Zinyard, Dry Creek Valley. Now I don’t get the alcohol ‘thing’; maybe it’s because I Love a good Bombay Safire Gin & Tonic (heavy on the Gin) but to each their own.
For us Peterson is an Autobuy: just like Wellington was, and WineSmith & Two Jake’s Is.
In for a case -bendy-evanescent-wall Peace Out!!
As my wife says, there’s no accounting for taste. I quite enjoyed the Zin 4-pack, but the Tradizionale knocked my socks off (in a good way). In for a case.
These high temps appear to be afflicting us all. One of the best things about wine (and many forms of entertainment) is that no one product needs to please all, while there are still objective standards of craft and subjective ones of value.
I don’t write here too often but it’s great when people express their biases because it informs reviews.
@canonizer write here more often
@kitkat34 mostly just buying daily drinkers from the local store. Don’t have any storage these days to lay things down for years. But thank you!
I gave in. If I enjoy the Bernier as much as I did the Tradizionale, I will be very happy! One case headed my way.
/giphy ocular-pulpy-juniper
I really don’t need any more wine, but I really enjoyed the Peterson Tollini I got. Anyone in Atlanta area for a split?
@Springbank Sitting out for now, sorry. Overloaded and still smarting from the random cases. Drank a glass of the Merlot I got last night and dumped out the bottle.
@pupator @Springbank You speaking of the random import case? I poured out 4 of the 6, the other two were fine…never again…jealous of those in the Twisted Oak random case, so no more mysteries for me, but will consider randoms from the right producer!
@pupator @Springbank that bad?? that bums me out.
@pupator @Springbank @Winedavid49 So far I’ve opened two from my case, and they haven’t been at all bad.
@pupator @Springbank I popped open the merlot I got and while it wasn’t what I wanted, it wasn’t exactly terrible? I’m hoping there’s some diamonds in the rough in my mystery case…
The first bottle of Caliterra Cab tasted and smelled of burning rubber. Opened the second and it started out OK, but developed the same acrid notes the second day. I thought the Altue was drinkable, but barely. The Crémant was pretty good, at least my wife loved it. One out of three is not good. Don’t think I’ll be in on a mystery case again.