Drinking the 2001 Biale Old Pato Ranch Zinfandel
I like a good Zinfandel. When I think about the elements that comprise a good Zinfandel, I think about blackberries, black cherries, baking spices, and a smoky, chocolate/vanilla/leather backbone, all in that order. The trick to a good Zinfandel is the proper balance among these elements. If any one element is too potent (it’s usually the baking spice flavors), the entire wine tastes one-dimensional and hot since the alcohol content is typically well over 15%.
When I look back at the Zinfandel wines I have tried in the past two years, a few names stand out:
- Radio-Coteau makes a knockout Zinfandel from grapes picked from the Von Weidlich vineyard
- Robert Biale makes some nice Zinfandel as well, judging by the Grande Vineyard release I had earlier in 2007
- Peter Franus‘ Brandlin Zinfandel is possibly my favorite of these three, although the Radio-Coteau is neck and neck
So, in honor of my first anniversary of marriage to my wife, we went to Ray’s Boathouse in Seattle. After hearing about the Mediterranean-style albacore tuna special, I decided to get the restaurant’s last half-bottle of 2001 Biale Old Pato Ranch Zinfandel. This Contra Costa County Zin packs 15.5% alcohol into a small container. What’s it like? Read on:
- Aroma: Potent blackberry jam, huckleberry pie, and black cherry with molasses. Not complex, very straightforward and enticing.
- Flavor: Lots of spice, mostly of the black pepper and clove varieties; some blackberry fruit pie and roasted coffee flavors in there with the spices. Not very complex, still somewhat tannic so there is some life left here.
- General impression: Not bad, but not too exciting either. Just okay overall. The tannins suggested that this wine could survive at least a few more years in the bottle, too, so perhaps it will gain complexity and lose a bit of the overriding spiciness.
Overall, this wine was okay, but not terribly gripping. Perhaps I prefer the slightly less spicy Zinfandels, or else this wine needed a bit of something else (Charbono? Carignane?) to balance out the spice. I’m glad I tried it, but I’d go for something different next time.