Nalle Winery Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2008
I’ve written before about Nalle Winery, how much I like all of their wines and particularly their Zinfandel. As I’ve said in the past, Nalle’s Zin was one of the first wines that I fell in love with. It inspired a real appreciation for Zinfandel, and ever since I first tasted it, it has remained right up there among my favorite wines.
Sadly, Nalle’s wines are not available here where we live, and so it is rare that we have the opportunity to taste any of them. So when we were in San Francisco last weekend and saw a bottle of the 2008 Zin in a wine shop, we leaped at the chance to try it.
The 2008 version is a field blend bringing together grapes from 3 separate vineyards. The blend includes 86% Zinfandel, 8% Petite Sirah, 3% Carignane, 2% Mourvedre, and 1% Alicante Bouchet. All of the vineyards are situated in the Dry Creek Valley appellation, one of the most ideal spots for growing Zinfandel in California. The Zins from here consistently and beautifully express a unique terroir.
The wine was bottled in August 2009, and rolls in at a relatively restrained 13.9%.
Tasting Notes
In the glass the wine is a deep, opaque, purple velvet. The nose is rich with opulent fruit – think blackberries, raspberries, and currants – alongside a whisp of tobacco, fennel, and menthol. The palate has big flavors of creamy oak, dark red fruit, black pepper, and black licorice, riding atop a silky smooth-textured body. The finish is surprisingly bright, with flavors of strawberries complementing red licorice and vanilla.
This is a wonderful, classic Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, loaded with dark, robust brambly fruit and a supple texture. The oaky notes are more pronounced than in a bottle of the 2003 that we tasted not too long ago, with a thread of oaky vanilla underscoring the other flavors in the palate. All in all, outstanding.
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