The first blistering rays of an arduous drought did no harm to the 2012 Calvino Jones zinfandel. In fact, winemaker Quincy Steele credits the stunted harvest season for the wine’s dense savor.
A swirl of the glass brings dawn to a pastoral scene. A basket of freshly picked cherries rest on a patch of dry earth under the burst of amber sun near bushes of blueberries, weighty and ready to burst. Limbs stir and leaves rustle, drawing in hints of drying plum and traces from a distant smokehouse.
It’s an inviting wine, right from the start.
On the palate there is a vamp of prosperous fruit, etched by harsh sun and short time on the vine into a jam. Blueberry and blackberry delve for prospects, gleaning richer notes of fig and black licorice. But there is still a spirited kick to the wine, which emerges mid-palate as bright, fresh red cherries.
This transition makes evident a clever aspect of the Calvino Jones zinfandel. It opens as if it intends to be a heavy, brooding wine. As the taste develops, however, you realize the light bodied spring in its step. This balance plays out into the finish, as a bellow of tobacco, cracked peppercorns, toasted spice and weathered wood counter the still yearning fruits.
Faint wisps of smoke linger, ready to welcome again the heartier flavors.
Steele fermented at a cool temperature and worked to keep skin contact for as long as possible. The zinfandel matured on lees then aged in French oak for 18 months.
“It is meant to be a more rustic throwback style, inasmuch more natural and pure, purposefully unpolished,” the winemaker said in a prepared statement.
The patience during maceration and the workings of oak tempered by age paid off. As with so many wines, however, those behind it tend to credit the growing season and the peculiarities of a plot of land.
By harvesting early Steele maintained both the active fruit flavors and the brisk acidity, without denting the impressive compact and earthy undertones.
Well, no matter who deserves the credit — winemaker or withering sun — the result is an exceptional wine.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
