Since that Valentine’s Day thing is coming up, we thought we would find some romantic selections. And we did. Lush, rich, and spicy. Sounds like our last date!
This month’s selections will also mark a couple (or three) firsts for the club. First of the firsts, we are offering two reds this month. Don’t fret, white wine lovers. If you need a white wine selection in your life, we can accommodate that.
Before we get into the selections, we want to talk a little about a specific varietal. One that was thought to be a native vitis to North America; however, genetic testing proved that wasn’t the case. If you haven’t figured out the varietal yet, here is a clue/quote from one of our favorite wine movies, Bottle Shock: “Any a$$!@le can tell the difference between a Merlot and a ______.”
Figure it out yet? OK, we are talking about Zin, or Zinfandel to be varietally correct.
Zinfandel had developed a claim that it was native to North America, but in recent genetic testing it was discovered that Zinfandel shares the same DNA as the Italian Primativo and the Croatian Crljenak Kastelanski varietals. There were also mentions of Zinfandel possibly coming from another Croatian grape named Palvac Mali, but later DNA testing showed that Palvac Mali, the flagship varietal of Croatia, actually came from a cross between Crljenak Kastelanski and Dobricic. So in essence, Palvac Mali comes from Zinfandel.
The earliest recorded mention of Zinfandel comes from a nursery in NE America during the early 19th century. Zinfandel then traveled across the country and found a home in sunny California. Plantings spread across the state and soon America had what it thought was its own native varietal.
Now although Zinfandel is genetically the same as Crljenak Kastelanski and Primativo, there is a bit of nuance between Zin and its “twins,” showing a slight difference in vine vigor and grape cluster size. So although Zin has genetic twins in other parts of the world, it has developed its own characteristics, most likely due to differences in terroir and cultivation. Thus Zinfandel might be the best example of a native vitis from North America!
And February’s selections are…
Peachy Canyon “Chillhouse” Zinfandel
Tasting wine is fun. There, we said it. It’s fun. And traveling to a certain wine producing area, spending some time discovering wines from that area, and discovering a commonality of terroir within its wines makes tasting them even more fun. This experience is, in our opinion, best displayed via the rows of vines in Paso Robles, CA. There is a distinct flavor memory that is unlocked when we taste wines from Paso Robles–it screams, “Hey, remember me? Yeah, we are going to have a good time again…. hiccup!” Peachy Canyon was founded in Paso Robles, CA in 1988 and made Zinfandel their flagship varietal from the start. As a tribute to their barrel room, they released a new wine called “Chillhouse”. The barrel room was kept at a cool temperature so that the barrels would keep the wine resting perfectly before it was bottled and sent out into the world for Zinfandel fans to enjoy. Please enjoy our first offering of Zinfandel in the club!
Chacewater Cabernet Franc
This selection is truly a unique wine club experience. A couple of months ago a friend walked into the shop to show us some wine. (OK, he wasn’t a friend then, but he and his family are now!) This guy, Luke Manuel, happened to have a family winery in California and wanted an opportunity to show us what his family does. His approach was genuine and did not rest on the “I own a California winery and my grapes are the best” approach. He talked about his family’s home and connection with the soil. He presented some very good wine – wine that showcased a great quality to price ratio, AKA exactly the type of wine we want to share with you! As we were discussing the wines, we started to talk about the wine club. He mentioned that he had an idea for us to deliver a Cabernet Franc… Hold the phones, text messages, emails, whatever. Cab Franc? A Cab Franc with an 88 case total production? This wine was not available in AZ, so he had a couple of bottles shipped in for us to try. And when the bottles arrived, slam dunk! So we are very happy to bring you a very hard to find 100% Cabernet Franc (another wine club first) from the Ponderosa Vineyards in the Sierra Foothills! Did we mention that Chacewater wines are also organically grown? Back in 1989 there was a forest fire that burned through the Manuel’s property. The family was faced with a major decision on what they would do to restore the land. They decided on planting an organic vineyard. Thank you to Luke and his family. And if you happen to be in the Scottsdale area around Shea and Scottsdale road, the Manuel family have opened a great little wine bar named GWIN Wine + Beer, which features their family wines and other small producers from around the world. Check it out!
Cheers,
Craig & Danielle