Antonym of the day: “ZAP Epicuria” to “austere” | Blind Spectator
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Several weeks ago, over dinner, while I was eating some steamed kale, a friend commented that my meal
seemed very “austere”.
Austere? A scientist of flavors, austere?
Fortunately, then came the ZAP Epicuria event to clear off any suspicions of persistent austerity. Decadent is
not strong enough a word to describe it: sacrilegious is more like it.
50 Zinfandel producers pouring their Zins, carefully paired with 50 dishes from top local chefs. Could it be as
good as it sounds? Oh yes. The Zin-sin pun is so obvious here and overused that I will avoid it altogether and
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rather describe it as a paradise of flavors, since obviously if this kind of event is to be found in the afterlife, it
would be in heaven rather than hell.
Now, let us explore some wines and their paired dishes, in the order in which I interacted with them. I tasted
blind, as always, and will describe my best attempt at unbiased impressions, including also some of the notes
from the conversations I’ve had after tasting.
I klinked off with 2010 Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel, with aromas of smoke and wood and flavors of dark
fruit, paired with the Duck Liver Mousse with Blackberry Gastrique from Radius. You’re probably starting to
get the right idea: this was “every bite as good as it sounds”. Seghesio’s “signature smoked ribs” fit that
category as well.
Next, I tasted Robert Biale Vineyards‘ 2011 Napa Zinfandel, light in body and appearance but rich and supple
and very enjoyable, even more so when paired with the “Liberty Duck Tartare, Duck Liver, Sausage Spices,
Bronze Fennel, Caramelized Fig, Crispy Potato and Peppered Greens” from Alexander’s Steakhouse. This pair
was one of the strong offerings of the evening.
The Berryesa Gap 2009 Zinfandel was smooth, with balanced tannins and dark fruit flavors. It was paired with
one of my two favorite dishes of the evening: the bouef bourgignon from Le P’tit Laurent. This was so good I
came back for seconds towards the end of the evening.
From Ballentine Vineyard I tasted three Block 9 (dark fruit on the nose, jammy cherry and raspberry flavors),
Block 11 (darker fruit and big jammy palate) Old Vine (darker and not as jammy). My tasting notes must have
been decent since the pourer used almost exactly the same descriptors I used when describing the wine to him,
one minute later, to a different taster. I was flattered. The pairing was “Gorgonzola Crostini with spiced pear
jam and black pepper” from Rose’s Cafe, which was actually a bit too peppery to my taste by itself, but a very
good pairing to the wine.
Alexander Valley Vineyards poured no less than four Zins: Temptation, with light body, raspberry flavors, a
light and easy drinking wine. The Sin Zin had a stronger nose, much darker palate, more tart, light in body and
finish. My favorite from them was Redemption, bigger, with much more of a presence, and blackberry and
black cherry flavors. Last was the Alexander School Reserve Old Vine: biggest, most alcoholic, a bit too big
for me. They were paired with: “Sweet Potato Timbale flavored with a Trio of cheeses” from Flavor Bistro,
which was as good as sweet potato gets.
From St. Amant I tasted the Mohr-Fry Ranch Old Vine Lodi Zin (light, bright fruit), the Marian’s Vineyard Old
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Vine (bigger body, more jammy, brighter fruit and blueberry), and Speakeasy red (more interesting, not as big,
more complex, not too tannic).
The pairings from Winechef for You included: “Chocolate” spring mix salad with gorgonzola cheese, sundried
cranberries, brownie crouton crumbs, chocolate berry rice wine vinaigrette”. You always wished you could eat
your greens but they would magically taste like chocolate, right? It sure looked like spring mix, but it tasted
like sweet decadent chocolate.
A second pairing was: “Cuban slow-raised, poked, jerked, rubbed and spiced pork with black bean rice salad
on corn chip drizzled with a balsamic raspberry black truffle fig porcini paint.” I was surprised that after the
poor pork had all these verbs done upon it, it still tasted delicious when the final verb “eaten” was added.
D-Cubed Cellars poured their 2009 Napa Valley Zinfandel, light with raspberry flavors, and slightly jammy. It
was paired with: “Lamb Sausage with Butter Beans, Herbs and Fennel” from A16, which was (to me) too
dominated by the beans.
Four Vines poured their Truant 2010, light, acidic, with nose bigger than the palate, somewhat bitter, a short
finish, not much complexity, but smooth and pleasant. Paired with five-spice duck confit sliders from City
College of San Francisco, which were a bit too much for me.
One of the most pleasant surprises of the evening, for me, was Dashe Cellars. Their 2011 Zinfandel “Les
Enfants Terribles” was unique among all Zinfandels I tasted that evening, very French in style, with lower
alcohol levels, and native yeast fermentation. I immediately said this reminds me of French wines and at $24 a
bottle this is a great deal. Next, I tasted the Florence Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. This was a very
different story: great nose, much stronger, flavors of blueberries, just slightly jammy, much darker with
developing black currants, round and complex. I enjoyed both wines very much and look forward to drinking
more Dashe in the future.
I don’t remember who made the Duck Confit in Balsamic Drizzle with Vanilla Hazelnut, but it was excellent,
and did not feel as fatty as you’d expect duck fried in duck fat to be.
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Calstar Cellars poured their 2008 Alta Zinfandel, Cardanini Vineyard, El Dorado County. It was light, with
bright fruit, slightly spicey with mild acidity and balanced tannins. It turns out that my notes were a
near-perfect match to their notes. The pairing was Cabot Cheddar who shamelessly titled their cheese samples
“A selection of The World’s Best Cheddar Cheese”. I tried blind tasting them too, and it was quite easy to
pick up their characteristics, especially identifying that one of them was low-fat. I actually thought it was the
best one.
Another enjoyable pair came from Cakebread Cellars, who poured a good 2010 Zinfandel (Red Hills, Lake
County), which I thought had medium body, blackberry tart flavors and good texture. The pairing of braised
short ribs with daikon, carrots and ginger-sesame broth from their own culinary department was excellent.
As much as I enjoyed the berry fruity 2009 Dry Creek Zinfandel from Bonneau Wines, I absolutely loved the
2009 Bonneau Rockpile for its dark complexity and developing finish. The wonderful pairing was lamb
lollypops from Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. This was one of my top pairs of the night.
Rock Wall Wine Company poured three excellent and diverse Zins for whom I unfortunately lost my tasting
notes, so I will only mention their lovely welcoming smiles (the Rock Wall people, not the Zins) and my happy
memories of the part of the evening which I spent with them. The paired “Spicy Thai Curry Pulled Pork on
Candied Jalapeño Rafts garnished with Cilantro and Lime” from Le Truc was, however, so spicy that it
knocked out my palate for about ten minutes.
Rosenblum also poured excellent wines for which I lost my notes. I am glad this gives me an excuse to taste
them again!
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Ridge poured terrific Zinfandels as always, and a bonus 2003 Ridge was poured as part of a fun four-decade
journey through time and Zin which delighted the explorer in me.
Other mentions in the food department go to the pork curry, which was notable among the many delicious
pork dishes, enhancing the already big pork flavor but not dominating it. Among the desserts the “Frank
Family Molecular Wine Ice Cream” from Chef Tyler Stone was both on topic and so delicious. The 3D
chocolates were also good.
Many thanks to ZAP for putting together this wonderful event, and for the excellent and informative brochure
they provided. Remember, it’s not too late to be part of the Zinfest: the grand tasting is tomorrow, and I will
definitely be there, further clearing my reputation of any suspicion of austerity. Tickets are still available!
Share and Enjoy:
February 1st, 2013 in Blind tasting, Events, Review, Wine
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A computer scientist and aspiring philosopher sets out to reach rigorous, logically-valid and statisticallysignificant insights about the wonderful world of flavor experiences.
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