CURRENTLY SERVING:

Mariah Zinfandel 2004 Mendocino Ridge

Pinot Noir is that arty, angular girl you dated right after high school. Remember her? She was thin-skinned, temperamental, and needed constant emotional care. At her best, there was no one more beautiful and delicate; she was perfection. At her worst, though, what a disaster. She did manage to thrive in less than stellar conditions, but often yielded little in the way of sweetness.

California Zinfandel is the girl you dated right after Pinot. Boisterous, outgoing, and very sexually charged. Zinfandel has curves in all the right places, and plenty of them. Zinfandel has bright, beautiful blue eyes. She might not be as complex and deep as Pinot, but do not dismiss her as soulless. Zinfandel will never bring you to the euphoric highs that Pinot did, but she will also never drop you to the floor with disgust. Zin is a hell of a rebound after a nasty breakup with Pinot.

I make this comparison, because at the heart of the wine culture, Burgundy Pinot Noir is considered the greatest grape in the world. A small yield grape that does its best work in a stretch of land all of 34 miles long. It’s the most challenging to grow, and even ‘great’ vintages are not consistent across the region. But if the perfect storm hits, these bottles can go for upwards of $70,000+ a case for old, rare vintages. Zinfandel, on the other hand is America’s greatest contribution to the wine world in my opinion. I don’t hate Napa Cabs, Oregon Pinot, or the ice wines from upstate New York. But I don’t think they set us apart from the wine world. Others have tried their hand at Zinfandel only to fail miserably. It is perfect for all that America represents in the wine world. Big, fruity, high alcohol, and heavy body. Sure, Cabernet does this, but our very best Cabs can’t hold a candle to what is happening in Bordeaux. We own Zinfandel.

That being said, you can’t usually get a solid Zinfandel for fewer than 20 dollars. But there is one that’s a Chairman’s selection right now on sale for $11.99. Mariah Zinfandel 2004 Mendocino County. A great ‘connect-the-dots’ entry into the Zinfandel world. It has all of the characteristics you should see in a varietally correct Zin. Plus, Mariah is a smaller boutique-esque winemaker, much more artisan than your large exporters.

Even though it has a deep, inky color, expect fresh red fruits on the nose. There is also a very floral, almost perfumed aroma that is emphasized by the higher alcohol content. It seems as though the wine spent a good amount of time in the oak barrel, but it isn’t overpowering at all. With a wine this young, usually it gets a woody characteristic, but I find much more mint here.

The mid palate is very red and some dark fruits like plums, but it stays quite bright and luscious the whole way through. You get a dose of cocoa as it passes through to the back of the tongue onto an almost chewy finish. The tannins aren’t as pronounced here as with most Zinfandels, and it allows some of the acid in the fruit to integrate well with the wine as a whole. This is a textbook Zin, but without the shredding tannins. The reason for that are some nifty winemaking techniques that make this wine more accessible to the drinker. I would have preferred more tannin on the finish, as the lack thereof makes this bottle the dessert after my meal instead of with it.

The body, while medium to heavy, is not viscous, and won’t tire your palate. But make no mistake, this will dominate and demolish almost any plate of food. I would drink this on its own. A terrific steal at $11.99 this week.

I have seen them listed in the 12th Street store, Havertown, Villanova, Springfield, West Chester, Norristown, KOP, Germantown Ave., Franklin Mills, Manayunk, South Street, etc. etc. There’s not a ton of it left (it’s part of the Chairman’s Dump) but there are at least 4 or 5 bottles left in each of these stores, and much more in others. The PLCB Code is 013728.

Collin Flatt is a former Beer Pong champ turned oenophile. Collin Flatt spends his tax refunds on wine. Collin Flatt has his Bachelor’s Degree in drinking and is getting his Master’s Degree in winemaking. Collin Flatt is working on an Arctice Splash Cuvee. Collin Flatt writes about wine for Phoodie.info.

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