WTN: So they showed up with a zinfandel...

[Jenise]

...and a really cheap California white, my guests last night did. Oh dear, I thought, as I gazed at both, though technically speaking zinfandel is a pretty good choice for corned beef. It's just that these friends favor the sappy, high alcohol fruit bomb type of California wine. Which didn't bode well for the chardonnay, either. Well, here's what I get for being judgemental: I really enjoyed both.

2009 Black Oak Chardonnay, California: very pale and clear, no visible oak or extract, with buckets of sweet pear flavor on the nose and palate--every green pear imaginable, and canned pear syrup too but with good enough acidity to keep it lively. Maybe I was over-compensating for the fact that I'd just come from seeing Javier Bardem in the most depressing movie I've ever seen, Biutiful, but I found this wine completely charming.

2007 Story Zinfandel, Shenandoah Valley, California: This wine is actually the antithesis of what these friends normally like. Quite light in color for a zinfandel and just barely medium body on the palate, it had sweet raspberry fruit, cinnamon bark, allspice and a hint of clove. Above average acidity kept it bright and clean. It's the kind of zinfandel I'd given up thinking anyone down there made anymore. Great find.

Amador Zins tend to have decent acids to balance out their high alcohol and don't usually come across cherry-sweet like many others do. Not sure why. I ain't no winemaker.

Jenise; it's so funny, I made Zin from Story's grapes in '93, '94, '95 and '97, and in a couple of years the wine was really exceptional (in the others, also pretty good), but the wine THEY made then was a disaster! I think they've gotten a consulting winemaker in recent years, and it's nice to know they're making something pleasing from those grape, because it IS a great spot for the vines they have.

[James Roscoe]

Amador Zins tend to have decent acids to balance out their high alcohol and don't usually come across cherry-sweet like many others do. Not sure why. I ain't no winemaker.

Generally this is the only area that will give me any kind of satisfaction in the zin category. I will drink the others, but Amador just seems to get the balance right.

Very interesting to hear about the Story, Jenise. I've had a fair amount of experience with their wines, and virtually none of it was good. Steve's use of the word "disaster" would be a kindness. That said, it's been a few years since I had anything from them. Nice to hear that things have changed up there.

Jenise; it's so funny, I made Zin from Story's grapes in '93, '94, '95 and '97, and in a couple of years the wine was really exceptional (in the others, also pretty good), but the wine THEY made then was a disaster! I think they've gotten a consulting winemaker in recent years, and it's nice to know they're making something pleasing from those grape, because it IS a great spot for the vines they have.

Steve, interesting Story(ha!). I bought some at the time you speak of (around 95 or so) and it tasted good at the winery, but they fell apart quickly. Do you know if they still make a Mission (supposedly, oldest mission vines in CA, 100 years old or so)?

[Jenise]

Jenise; it's so funny, I made Zin from Story's grapes in '93, '94, '95 and '97, and in a couple of years the wine was really exceptional (in the others, also pretty good), but the wine THEY made then was a disaster! I think they've gotten a consulting winemaker in recent years, and it's nice to know they're making something pleasing from those grape, because it IS a great spot for the vines they have.

Steve, as I was putting the bottle in the recycle bin last night I realized that I failed to notice that there was a vineyard designation, Picnic Hill I think.

Anyway, all very interesting comments--it's not a winery I had any history with. I'll add that this bottle came from a prepackaged mixed case the winery had some sort of special on (our friends just returned from visiting other friends in the area) and Anne mentioned that there were vintages as old as 2004 in the box. There might be another chapter to this 'story'.

Picnic Hill is the part of the property with the oldest vines, as I recall; by now they're probably close to 80 years old.

[Jenise]

Picnic Hill is the part of the property with the oldest vines, as I recall; by now they're probably close to 80 years old.

Ah, might explain why the wine which was otherwise a lighter style was also rich with flavor (something I often run into in pinots, but not zins).