“There’s a lot of Zin’ because that’s what I do.” So began Joel Peterson, founder and winemaker of Ravenswood, as he welcomed us to dinner at Blue Hill in mid-June. Concerned that one might jump to the conclusion that these are monster wines, Peterson was quick to describe his Zins as being “in proportion” with “lovely character”. He further advised that he grew up drinking European wines, which informs his winemaking to this day. The winemaker also insists that Zinfandel is expressive with regard to terroir. And, in that vein, he proceeded to show us his single-vineyard Zinfandels from low yielding, old vines as proof.
A founding member of ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers), Peterson is intimately familiar with Zinfandel’s history. As modern DNA analysis has shown, the variety dates back to Croatia as a descendent of Crljenak Kaštelanski (I don’t know how to pronounce it either). However, Zinfandel arrived on America’s shores in 1824, landing first in the Ravenswood section of Queens then making its way to California in the 1850s. By 1884, there were 30,000 acres planted there.
Yet despite this heritage, Peterson’s choice of company name is unrelated and simply coincidence. Rather, in 1976, when Peterson harvested his first crop of grapes, it began to rain. He hastened to pick all the grapes before the precipitation could ruin them and noticed during his work that two, large ravens watched him throughout the entire day. These black birds became his totem and, along with an operatic connection to Lucia di Lammermoor, an opera he favors, cemented the moniker. With its purported hypnotic design, the three entwined birds of his logo have become a much-requested tattoo.
Although he initially began his career in clinical research, Peterson was drawn to winemaking, serving first as an apprentice and then obtaining money to go out on his own. And, while many adults might credit their parents for sparking their curiosity in wine, few children can say that their arrival was the catalyst for a similar pursuit by their parents. Peterson can say both – that his parents influenced his interest in wine and that he is partly responsible for them ever getting involved in wine in the first place.
When Joel was born in 1947, his mother, a nuclear chemist, chose to leave the workforce and become a stay-at-home mom. Spending time in the kitchen instead of the laboratory, she taught herself to cook. Among her food-related reading, she noted that the French drank wine with their meals, a novel concept in U.S. culture at the time. Intrigued, she set out to buy a bottle of French wine for Thanksgiving; it took two weeks to find one in California, but her search was rewarded with a bottle of 1945 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The next purchase was a mixed case, which cost $15.00 and included Haut Brion and Château d’Yquem.
From this simple introduction, Joel’s dad went on to found the San Francisco Wine Sampling Club (now known as the San Francisco Vintners Club) and called upon his 10-year old son to smell, taste (and spit) the wines in order to identify simpler terms for describing the wines in his newsletter. To this day, Peterson says, “You can tell everything about a wine just by smelling.” Joel’s more formal education includes a degree in microbiology from Oregon State University.
Given his exposure to French wines, Peterson selected Zinfandel as his grape of choice because, to him, it was the most European variety in California at the time. While the Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend is much better known, Peterson actually began crafting single-vineyard designated wines from Sonoma County with that first, rainy vintage. His current range includes six, single-vineyard designated wines.
Having commented that he, “…like[d] acid and tannin; these are my friends,” during dinner, it was not surprising that both were evident as we tasted through the wines.
The Dickerson Vineyard, in Napa Valley, dates to 1920. Infected with the leaf-roll virus, the vines do not photosynthesize well, which leads to higher acidity in the grapes and the resulting wines. The 2008 is angular with bright red fruit.
Situated at the south end of the Alexander Valley, Big River Vineyard is comprised of volcanic soil. The wines it produces are “perfume-y and pretty” and the 2008 was no different with its elegance and long length.
Owned by the Belloni family, Ricardo (now deceased) used to make wine from his own grapes as well as sell them until he tasted Joel’s Belloni Zinfandel, feeling that the grapes were better in Joel’s hands than his own. Referred to as a “big bruiser” by Peterson, this Zinfandel is co-fermented as a field blend with Alicante Bouschet, Carignane and Petite Sirah. The 2008 showed rich, jammy fruit with soft tannins.
Named for BARbara and PatRICA, the Barrica Vineyard is located in the Sonoma Valley appellation. Originally established in 1860, this historic vineyard was owned by George Hearst, father of William Randolph Hearst, and, in 1885, was the first vineyard in California to be planted on American rootstock. The 2008 displays distinct structure and weight with blueberry, vanilla and floral aromas.
The certified organic, Old Hill Ranch was the first non-Mission vineyard and contains roughly half Zinfandel and half “mixed blacks,” some of which that have yet to be identified. The wine itself is composed of 75% Zinfandel and 25% mixed blacks and is the spiciest of the 2008 line up.
From Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley, Teldeschi’s vines include Zinfandel, Carignane and Petite Sirah, which are fermented separately. Peterson described this wine as “big,” “beautiful” and with “rich cherry and vanilla.” In addition to the usual bramble fruit, the 2008 had smoky aromas along with dried herbs.
Shifting attention somewhat away from Zinfandel toward the end of the night, Peterson presented us with two more wines –the ICON Mixed Blacks, a field blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Alicante Bouschet and his proprietary red blend, Pickberry Red.
The former is the “once and future wine of California” representing grape varieties that were planted prior to 1920, while the latter, from Sonoma Mountain, is a Bordeaux-style wine. The 2007 Pickberry is a blend of 58% Merlot and 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, without the usual Cabernet Franc he usually adds, due to vintage conditions.
Regardless of which vineyard’s grapes were in the glass, none of the wines had what Peterson refers to as the “three sins of Zin – too much sugar, alcohol and/or oak.” They were all beautifully balanced and did, indeed express the individual terroirs.