From harvest time winemaker Scott Simkover’s 2013 Zinfandel proved challenging.
Culled from a high point on the Kelsey Bench AVA, it came weighted with enough residual sugar that Simkover introduced a second round of yeast.
The effort barely blunted the hard charging wine. Although the varietal tends to higher alcohol levels, this particular vintage would not settle until it reached 17 percent.
“I was debating calling it a dessert wine, but it doesn’t finish sweet,” Simkover said.
The Smiling Dogs Ranch 2013 Backyard Zinfandel is unique. The wine doesn’t even flex its dense, jammy dark fruit muscles until well into a tasting. Instead of the usual progression of bold fruit and spice, Simkover’s Zin tugs on the palate with a pondering, earthy savor — introspective, brooding and reminiscent of black loam turned on a distant homestead.
From this depth, sparks of peppery spice emerge. At first they amplify the dark, rich earthiness, easing aloft from a dusty cardamom to licorice candy. But as they ascend, they lift a plush curtain to reveal the intense fruit one expects from a Zinfandel — black cherry, dark plum and tart dried fruits.
On the finish, lighter stone fruits and toasted wood combine to soften the profound nature of this wine.
“I have other Zinfandels, but none like this,” Simkover observed. “It’s just a big Zin.”
The aromas just barely prepare you for the benevolent power of Smiling Dogs’ 2013 Zinfandel. It presents itself as fruit forward, bounded by thistles with a dreamy, candied berry and rich butterscotch note floating over toasted, earthy spice.
It’s a welcoming note, but substantial enough that the first surge of flavor does not catch you completely by surprise.
Simkover used part of the crop to produce an impressive Rose. The rest — the 2013 Backyard Zinfandel — he aged in American oak, coaxing out that light, pleasant finish from a big, bold wine.
Although packing 17 percent alcohol, there is no burn to this bottle. Picked at 28 brix and noticeably sweet when pressed, the wine shed its syrupy potential. Instead, Simkover has managed to feature the earthy, savory, spice and hearty, muscular fruit characters the varietal often gains at higher elevation.
The Smiling Dogs Ranch 2013 Backyard Zinfandel is brawny. Instead of bullying the palate intent on delivering a knockout blow, however, the wine prefers to strut a very appealing and robust complexity.
And that makes for a memorable experience.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
