2022 Wood Family Vineyards “Muy Bueno” Zinfandel
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Wood Family Vineyards, located in eastern Livermore Valley with Rhonda Wood owner & winemaker, has been producing award winning wines for over two decades. You can read more on her background from airline pilot to award winning winemaker at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2016/02/10/wood-family-vineyards-2/
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Being produced from one vineyard in Livermore provides a “terroir” of distinction. A dark wine in the glass with medium-heavy viscosity, yet translucent on the edges. Strong aromas of black fruits greet the imbiber followed by tastes of jammy, brightness of plums, red and black cherries and freshly picked berries providing an unparalleled juiciness of flavors. On the palate, the fruit is lively and refreshing with a tinge spicy nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. On the finish anise and black pepper notes linger along with the jammy fruit. The wine will be released early November and the price will be $42.
Rhonda adds what they call a late harvest Zinfandel into the blend to enhance the sweetness just slightly. With one lot of Zinfandel (a couple bins/barrels) they intentionally stop the fermentation (leaving it a bit sweet) and add it back into the lot at final blending (before bottling). When finalized the blend is only 1.05 % residual sugar which is considered off dry. Also this wine uses 25% new American oak barrels.
Fun facts about Zinfandel:
- Zinfandel was once known as the “Bordeaux of California” by the gold rush miners.
- The first Zinfandel grapes in California were first planted in the Oak Knoll area of Napa Valley
- Today it is still the fourth largest grape varietal planted in California.
- White Zinfandel accounts for six times the production of red Zinfandel.
- At the end of the 19th century, Zinfandel was the most planted grape in California.
- Food pairings run the gambit of BBQ ribs, grilled chicken, burgers, pizza, cheddar & smoked Gouda cheeses.
- 8 out of 10 surfers give Wood Family Zinfandel a thumbs up! (ok I made this one up!).
Photo ©Michael Kelly
No wonder this wine is called “Muy Bueno” or very good!
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The wine was specifically selected for tonight’s dinner to go with a dry rubbed BBQ’ed pork tenderloin. This recipe decreased the spiciness from a previous one rub. The dry rub included chili powder, brown sugar, dried oregano, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, fine sea salt, pepper and a little extra virgin olive oil. The slices of pork tenderloin were served with Stewart and Jasper Cherry sauce. The slices of spicy pork tenderloin provided ample flavors to assimilate this off dry wine. The meal was accompanied by a baked Yukon potato and a fresh garden salad.
Sláinte,
Michael