Tag: Dry Creek Valley
Unti Vineyards Segromigno 2006
Unti Vineyards is a family owned and operated winery located in the town of Healdsburg in Dry Creek Valley, California. They own about 60 acres of vines, 35 of which are situated around the winery itself, that are planted with a wide variety of grape varietals, including Zinfandel, Syrah, Sangiovese, Petite Sirah, Grenache Noir, Mourvedre, Pinot Noir, Montepulciano, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, and Vermentino.
As you can tell from that list of varietals, Unti’s focus is on producing a large part of its wines from Rhone and Italian varietals alongside the common California varietals Zinfandel and Pinot Noir. As a result, their list of current releases numbers 12 different wines, and there are a number of other wines they’ve made in the past that they are not currently offering.
The Segromigno is one of those wines that is not currently being offered. The last vintage they produced was a 2006, which this bottle is from. Named after a town in Tuscany, Segromigno is a blend of 92% Sangiovese, 4% Syrah, and 4% Barbera. The Sangiovese is from vines recently planted, whereas the Syrah and Barbera are from vines planted in 1998.
The grapes were harvested between September 25 and October 27. The wine spent 11 months aging in French oak, 15% of which were new barrels, and was bottled on September 10, 2007.
Unti refers to this as “a blended Cal-Ital”, and in some ways I think this is an apt description. If you’ve tasted many Italian-produced Sangiovese wines you’ll recognize several of the flavors in this wine, namely a sort of rich yet coarse dark red fruitiness. Added to that is a plush vibrancy that you find in some of the best Dry Creek Valley Zinfandels, minus Zinfandel’s spiciness.
The Segromigno pours medium ruby-red, the brushed red color of slightly overripe raspberries. The nose has vibrant raspberries and cherries, hints of creamy oak and vanilla, and a dintinct note of black tea. On the palate, the dark red fruit flavors remain dominant, underscored by vanilla and a hint of dark chocolate. The wine has a velvety, plushly textured body, with a brightening note of acidity. The finish continues the dark red fruit theme, yet a bit more vibrant and fresh tasting than on the palate, again underscored by slightly smoky notes of black tea.
This was a nice, very drinkable and enjoyable red wine, and I would definitely enjoy the chance to try some of their other wines in the future, given the chance. Perhaps on our trip out there later this month. Although, they’re only open by appointment, which may take more planning than we’re accustomed to…
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Nalle Winery Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2003
Nalle Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. The words never cease to conjure up memories for me. This was the first wine that I really fell in love with, back in the mid-1990’s when I first took an interest in wine. I knew next-to-nothing about wine, and was simply casting about trying a wine here, a different one there, playing the field. At some point I read an article about zinfandel that recommended Nalle, along with a handful of other zins. A local shop not only had bottles of Nalle (a 1994), but a big picture that was taken from the deck of Doug Nalle’s house looking out over the Nalle countryside. That first bottle of Nalle Zin, combined with the romanticism of the photo on the wall to seduce me, forever to be a Nalle fanatic.
Since then I have had the good fortune to try other bottlings and wines from Nalle (they’re very difficult to find in this state), and also to visit the winery itself. During a trip to California a few years ago, we stopped by the winery on a Saturday afternoon, the one day they were open for tastings. It was a memorable visit where we got to try several of their wines, meet the winemakers, and even use their picnic table for an impromptu lunch amidst the vines.
Doug Nalle began producing wine under his own name in 1984, and just this past June celebrated 25 years of production. During that time he’s developed a reputation as one of the handful of zinfandel specialists in California, alongside such names as Paul Draper, Kent Rosenblum, and Joel Ravenswood. Each year since 1984 Nalle has produced a zinfandel made from grapes sourced from three separate growers in Dry Creek Valley: the Saini family, who farm the Nalle family’s home vineyard, Joe Ramazzotti who farms the Carreras vineyard, and Paul Bernier who farms the Sibary vineyard. The average age of the vines is 62 years old, with some having been planted as far back as 1880.
Two aspects of Nalle’s production stand out, namely his preference for low yields in the range of 3-4 tons per acre, and medium-alcohol wines, typically in the range of 13.5-14%. Zinfandel, historically a grape used in California for the production of bulk wines, is a notoriously vigorous vine producing anywhere up to 10-12 tons per acre. The grapes develop sugars quickly, oftentimes before the grapes themselves are fully mature. The result is a tendency for zinfandel-based wines to be rich, alcoholic blockbusters. During the past 10-20 years, this style of wine has been popular among some critics and consumers, and it is now increasingly common to find zinfandels of 15% and higher. Nalle’s winemaking philosophy runs rather counter to this trend.
In The Wines Of California, Stephen Brook writes that, “Nalle wants balance and fruit, and maintains that his wines are best enjoyed at up to six years old. He doesn’t want high alcohol – 14 degrees is ample – nor does he want powerful oak flavors. What he does deliver is stylish fruit and impeccable balance.” Towards this end, Nalle uses about 20% new oak barrels for each vintage, and always uses French barriques, citing his perception that aging in American oak lends a bitterness to wines as the reason for his preference.
All of the grapes are hand-picked, and then hand-sorted at the winery by Nalle and his wife and son. Vinification in open-top fermenters, and aging in oak barrels all take place at their hangar-like facility in Dry Creek.
I’ve always loved Nalle’s zinfandels because they deliver deep, resonant fruit while at the same time offering nuanced, mature flavors balanced against plenty of body without alcohol-overtones. They are eminently drinkable, and improve greatly from the start of the bottle to the last glass. And then there are the tongue-in-cheek labels drawn each year by artist Bob Johnson. Here’s a link to the one for the 1994 Zin.
The 2003 Zinfandel pours a deep,velvety ruby red, evenly colored from the middle of the glass to the rim. The nose is bursting with raspberries, black cherries, and viscous red fruit compote. The fruit theme continues on the palate, with raspberries, blackberries, and black cherries, underscored by a thread of resin and spicy ancho chili. The flavors are mouth warming, vibrant and fresh, kicked into high gear by a dark yet brightening acidity. The body is velvety with soft tannins. The finish highlights rich flavors of raspberry jam, and black cherries, and has a slightly tannic grip.
We opened this bottle of wine during one of the rare days this past June when the sun came out, and it seemed only appropriate to celebrate. I have to say that I was nervous, having moved this bottle from one apartment to another during the past three years, but it more than lived up to its billing. When we finished it we were entirely satiated. We’ve got one bottle of 2004 Zinfandel hanging out, waiting for another proper occasion, and I’m pretty incredibly excited about the chance to open it.
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