Abbott and Costello, Montana and Rice, chocolate and peanut butter, bacon and — well, just about anything. When two can support each strength and fill in for each weakness, the duo becomes dynamic.
Indeed, winemaker Scott Simkover believes in the power of the perfect pair so strongly, he produced two versions of his new BraZen, a blend of Barbera and Zinfandel. The first allows each to play an equal part, the second is a more pragmatic 80-20 mix. And in both he finds destiny.
“BraZen is probably going to become a signature blend because I really like what Barbera and Zinfandel do for each other,” said the owner of Smiling Dogs Ranch.
Billing Barbera’s mellowed fruits and cheery demeanor with the bombastic swagger of Zinfandel makes a certain amount of sense. But just how deftly the two varietals step together does not really become apparent until the 2014 Smiling Dogs BraZen fills the glass.
Dark plum and blueberry jam fill the nose, stewing down into a compote and poured into a freshly baked shell. A belt of black pepper follows, along with traces of singed tobacco — all hallmarks of the brash Zinfandel. But this is tempered by the muttering of nutmeg and the musty autumn morning scent of fallen leaves fading in damp soil, as the affluent character of Barbera takes the stage.
A sip brings the pair forward, hands clasped, in a duet of plum and dark berries. Support comes from an orchestra of earthy flavors — toasted spice, licorice, cigar smoke and fields under a late autumn mist.
On the finish the bold fruits return for an encore, joined this time by a whimsical strawberry edge — a bright, lush stage stealing play by Barbera that instead just draws attention back to the dark fruit notes.
It’s a wonderful blend — 50 percent of each varietal.
Simkover matured the wine for 14 months in American oak, but otherwise left things to the workings of nature, yeast and porous wood.
“It’s the grapes that are doing it,” he said, taking no credit for the harmonious blend.
The second offering is an estate version — again a 2014 BraZen, with grapes plucked from his own newly producing vineyard.
In this case Simkover set the blend at 80 percent Zinfandel, 20 percent Barbera. Or, rather, the harvest determined each amount.
“The blend was based on how much of each I had to work with,” he explained. “It seemed to work.”
On the nose the Zinfandel again strides to the fore, this time with dark, almost meaty fruits. A billow of smoke wafts through, further encouraging comparisons to a single varietal. Yet again the Barbera sneaks in, offering soothing hints of vanilla, spring blossoms and split balsa.
Smiling Dogs’ estate version is juicy — fresh, light strawberry alongside dark cherry — riding over oozing jam. A dusty adobe note grounds the wine, lending a rich element to fruit plucked from youthful vines. This allows the estate BraZen to seek more mature flavors. Hints of chocolate, fig and fresh herbs emerge on the finish.
It’s an impressive wine, especially considering Simkover planted just a few years ago.
“It’s a young vine Zin,” Simkover said with a laugh, “as young as it could be.”
And it’s proof that a good duo finds its footing early on and just improves from there.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
