Old Vine (not just) Zinfandel

There are a few select areas around the world graced with gnarly old vines, planted in the nineteenth century and still producing wine. These vines are special because they produce exceptionally concentrated wine (albeit in small quantities) and because they are a direct, physical connection with the distant past. Ironically, it's the so-called New World that has rich plantings of old vines, particularly in phylloxera-free parts of Australia and also here in California, where nineteenth-century vines have survived the twin ravages of phylloxera and Prohibition.

I visited Ridge's property in northern Sonoma County, on the border between Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley, where there are vines planted in the early 1900s after phylloxera struck California in the 1890s. There are even some vines from the 1880s planted to the St. George rootstock by canny growers who were learning from France, where the devastating effects of phylloxera were countered by grafting vines to American rootstock. Walking through the vineyards made me realise how connected we are to the past, as some of the practices of the nineteenth century still hold true today, and how winemakers and growers from around the world have always learnt from one other.

the passing of time

 

 

1990s Carignan vine, with a higher-trained canopy

old vine, with a lower-trained canopy

The Ridge vineyards have many old vines with thick, wrinkled trunks, growing in different, maverick directions, determined to do their own thing after many years growing, yet disciplined in the quality of grapes they produce. These are interspersed with thin, seemingly weedy vines that are easy to train but produce fruity, upfront, almost undisciplined wines. These young vines have been planted to replace the old vines that one by one die. The contrast between the young and old vines was stark, but with time one will grow into the other. Ridge are intensely interested in preserving California's wine culture, but also in building on it. The younger vines are trained higher than the older ones, so that the canopy can be better controlled, but still without trellises which are almost uniform now across California (with the exception of Syrah, which has wildly productive canopies).

zinfandel, and other varieties

Old Vine Zinfandel is the most famous style of wine in California which connects the state's rich winemaking culture with today's drinkers. Rightly so, because old Zinfandel vines produce wines with much more concentration of flavours than young vines which result in fruity, somewhat simple wines. But on Ridge's property, there are over 20 other grape varieties planted, some of the vines dating back to the nineteenth century. Zinfandel is at its best as the main part of a blend, and those other grape varieties add what Zinfandel can sometimes lack according to the site: colour, acidity, or tannins.

These other varieties include Petite Sirah, which was planted far more than I was expecting in Ridge's vineyards, providing colour and tannin, as well as two other much-maligned grape varieties. Carignan is often dismissed as a high-yielding, low-quality grape, but old Carignan (spelt Carignane by Ridge as it was in California in the nineteenth century) can produce intense, concentrated wines, and it can also add acidity to a blend. Alicante Bouschet is dismissed even more often, planted during Prohibition to give colour to home winemakers' amateur efforts. Not only do Ridge have old Alicante Bouschet, they're still planting it now - for its historic importance in California as well as the colour it adds to a wine.

blending and field blends

Mataro, or Mourvèdre as it's known in France

In the nineteenth century, all those grape varieties were often planted together in the same vineyard without any particular rhyme or reason. Or at least, so it can seem. I walked through the vineyards with Ridge's viticulturist Will Thomas, who explained that the winery had conducted experiments to see if co-fermenting the field blends was better than fermenting the different varieties separately. The field blends won. Turns out those nineteenth-century European immigrants knew what they were doing, and now Ridge are deliberately planting some of their vineyards as field blends.

old-vine Pinot Noir

Having said which, there was one old vine, planted in 1901, in the middle of all those warm climate varieties. Its canopy was far more developed, aggressively so, and the grapes ripen more quickly than the vines around it. Will had conducted quite a bit of research to learn which variety it was: unexpected answer, Pinot Noir. There must be few older Pinot Noir vines in the world, and here it was planted entirely in the wrong place.

This on-going learning experience is now focused on two newly-planted rows with over twenty varieties, arranged in alphabetical order from Alicante Bouschet to Zinfandel. These vines have been planted to see how the different varieties perform in the same conditions. It was incredible to walk down the rows and see how the canopies are larger with some varieties (Syrah); others have noticeably waxy leaves (Grenache Gris); while others grow firmly upright (Mataro, or Mourvèdre).

old-vine Syrah

The most intriguing of all these field blend vineyards was one planted to Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Peloursin. Petite Sirah, also called Durif after its creator, is a crossing of Syrah and Peloursin, an extremely tannic grape. Here was a vineyard that had the mother, father, and child all growing together: in California, where vines were only first planted two hundred years ago.

Petite Sirah

Like Zinfandel, Petite Sirah is a Californian grape known for producing high-alcohol, fruity, extremely full-bodied wines. Again like Zinfandel, it's quite misunderstood: its origins are often confused, which leads to it not always been used correctly. It's taken me some time to appreciate the grape, but I feel serious, worthwhile versions are finally coming out of California.

the grape

Petite Sirah is known by that name in California, as well as Mexico and Argentina. It's been grown there since the nineteenth century, which is where the confusion starts. It was mostly grown as part of 'field blends' - vineyards where many grape varieties are grown - contributing tannins, fruit, and alcohol to that blend. It was also mostly grown by Italian immigrants for table wine, even though the grape has no Italian background. These field blends, based on traditional Italian practices of growing whatever was in the field, meant that no one really knew what was going into the wine. Even now, when much more is understood about the grape, 10% of grapes called Petite Sirah are something entirely different.

The name Petite Sirah also causes confusion. Introduced into California as Syrah, its name comes from its smaller berries. Petite Sirah is in actual fact a nineteenth-century French crossing between Syrah and Peloursin by a Dr. Durif. This crossing never took off in France where it is little grown; it is, however, grown in Australia where it is correctly called Durif after its maker. These wines are even bigger, fuller, and more intense than Shiraz, and provide a dark, bitter alternative to Australia's most famous export.

In California, Petite Sirah is still most often seen in blends. It may not seem apparent that Californian wines require more oomph and alcohol, but that's what Petite Sirah provides. Some wineries produce 100% Petite Sirah wines; my first impressions on tasting these were that they were far too big, jammy, and unsubtle. However, I have been increasingly impressed by some of the single-varietal wines I have tasted: big and bold, yes, but underpinned with complex bitter aromas quite different from other wines.

the wines

Chateau Montelena Petite Sirah 2009 14.5% ($35)

I visited Montelena last August and this was my first taste of a Californian 100% Petite Sirah. As big and aggressive as it was, I came away impressed by its substantial, uncompromising depth. With dark chocolate, black fruits, vanilla, and very chewy tannins, this is a wine that does not shy away.

Seghesio Il Cinghiale Petite Sirah 2010 14.8% ($38)

Seghesio are the ultimate example of an Italian-Californian winery. Established in the 1890s by an Italian immigrant, they still specialise in Italian varieties. Their flagship Zinfandel features around 10% Petite Sirah (Home Ranch Zinfandel, $58), and they make this appropriately named single-varietal (Il Cinghiale means wild boar). This is a big wine, spicy with chewy tannins and flavours of cocoa, blueberries, and black cherries. Even though Petite Sirah's origins are French, this wine feels like the wild south of Italy.

Nichelini Petite Sirah 2010 14.5% ($43)

Another producer with Italian origins dating back to the nineteenth century - Nichelini managed to work through Prohibition and are the Napa Valley's oldest continual winery. 2010 was a year with a hot spike but this Petite Sirah is more balanced compared to the Zinfandel (16.1%). Vibrant black fruits (blackberries, cherries, plums), with a spicy bitter chocolate and cocoa mouth.

m2 Petite Sirah 2009 14.9% ($33)

I picked this up in a farm shop on the Central Coast Delta near Lodi, without knowing much about it beyond its attractive label. It's from Clarksburg, a small AVA that's known mostly for its Chenin Blanc. The result is a seriously impressive wine, broad black fruits given structure by a well-integrated oakiness. I drank this with a spaghetti dish at home, further evidence of Petite Sirah's peculiar Italian nature.

Dutch Henry Petite Sirah 2008 ($60)

"Dutch Henry" was a nineteenth-century prospector and highwayman, giving his name to a canyon that lies behind this Calistoga winery that has to be visited just to meet the Airedale terriers. This Petite Sirah has big, ripe, almost jammy fruits, chocolate and coffee, but with a good structure, gripping tannins, and a grainy, oaky undertow. An impressive wine, although expensive at $60.

Quixote Petite Syrah (sic) 2002 14.4% ($110)

In the heart of Napa Valley is one of its most architecturally interesting wineries. It's also one that has always concentrated on Petite Sirah, producing serious, intense, ageworthy expressions of the grape that have fully convinced me of its potential. The 2002 is ageing extremely well: the nose is somewhat stinky, with hints of Brett, but smoky and earthy too. The palate is alive and complex, with plenty of black fruits and Petite Sirah's characteristic coffee and cocoa flavours. The acidity is still lively, the wine dark and spicy.

Looking back at my tasting notes for the Petite Sirahs I have encountered since August, the recurring words are "big," "chewy," and "cocoa." Expect big tannins, high alcohol, and unavoidable fruits; once you appreciate these elements, however, you understand its ageability, power, and depth. Not wines to be messed with, nor dismissed casually.