Edmeades 2014 Mendocino County Zinfandel

I almost never drink California wines, not because I don’t love and admire our vintner friends in California, but because I generally find California wines are a little big and heavy on the fruit and oak for me. Possibly because I haven’t had a 100% California Zinfandel for a very long while and definitely because I went to the store looking for a Petite Sirah (of all things), I PROMISE YOU, I have in front of me the Edmeades 2014 Mendocino County Zinfandel, which boasts a 93 point rating from Wine Spectator. I don’t normally find anything over about 90 – 92 points that I can actually afford at my local, so of course I totally forgot about my Petite Sirah tasting mission as well as the fact that I typically don’t go crazy over California wine and grabbed a bottle of this Zinfandel. 

I blame this entirely on the fact that today was reasonably-heavy dead lift day at the gym (I’m a powerlifter) and had just done the following progression: 195 lbs for three reps, 205 lbs for two reps and finally 215 lbs for one rep, followed by several sets of squats that maxed out at 175 lbs for three reps, followed by ballet eleves and releves for calves, followed by abs, all of which was prefaced by a one mile HIIT run. Basically, by the time I got to my local in search of Petite Sirah to review or, barring that, some Cahors, I was having an out-of-body experience (which might also be to blame for the cell phone photos of this wine rather than photos taken with my professional gear) and/or channeling my inner Arnold Schwarzenegger, bodybuilding (former) governor of California. Hello, Zinfandel!

As per usual with California wines, this is a high alcohol wine at 15.5%. (HELLOOOOO ZHINFANDEL!!! Hiccup…) I did try a sip of this wine before running a full glass through my aerator and I have to say that while this wine obviously benefits from aeration as does every wine, in my opinion, it didn’t change the essential flavors much, though it did blossom the nose, and that right there, consistency of flavor coupled with a lovely nose that turned into a stunning nose after aeration, is one of many reasons why this wine deserves all 93 of those points. It’s a wonderfully rich red in the glass, very dark, like burgundy velvet. It's five years old and has aged beautifully in the bottle, another reason for that 93-point rating. The nose is fig. Specifically, its super-ripe fig drizzled with a little clover honey, sprinkled with top-quality Ghirardelli 70% dark chocolate from up the way in San Francisco, and then lightly toasted over an open flame. The finish is long, with light, rounded tannins, not as grippy and mouth-clenching as some California Zinfandels, but rather pleasantly tingly, tart, and toasty. Refreshingly for a California wine, I didn’t feel like I was chewing on an oak 2x4 by the end of my glass (sorry, Cali, but you do have that reputation). Drinking, there are a lot of berries (and more of that luscious fig), but berries that are dark and sweet, like blackberry, super-ripe raspberry, and marionberry. It’s not a crisp or acidic wine, far from it, but also the fruits are not overpowering (again, Cali, you have that reputation). They sing, they don’t shout. This also isn’t a Zinfandel that will take off the top of your head with pepper and spice, but it’s definitely spicy. It’s more lightly peppery, with a touch of cinnamon in there. It’s definitely a big wine, very rich, sumptuous, even, and powerful, but not gratuitously big, thank god. If you were to have this with food, I would go heavy on the red meat, which I definitely did after that insane leg day. I finished tonight’s glass and found myself staring longingly at the half-teaspoon or so left at the bottom of the glass and thinking “bummer… I was hoping for more in there…”

This also might be a good red wine for those who are convinced that they don’t want to drink red wine because the flavors are too strong or the tannins are too much. This is a complex, rewarding red, but not overwhelming and the light tannins save it from being a red wine that white wine drinkers would decline. It is sophisticated and, dare I say it, elegant and it put me in mind of a big, seductive red from the south of France. It’s confident, too, in that it DOESN'T jump up and say: "Here I am! A California red! Look at me!" Rather, this particular wine is like someone who is accomplished, but confident enough in their abilities that they don’t need to clamor for your attention because they don’t need to prove anything in order to be noticed. That’s it: it’s an accomplished wine. Kind of like a nearly 49-year-old opera-singing mom who stands barely 5’3” and can deadlift more than her own husband weighs but you have no idea she can until she does. And then you’re wowed. Edmeades 2014 Mendocino County Zinfandel is widely available and surprisingly affordable ($15.99 here) and because it has patiently aged in zen-like fashion for five years in the understatedly-labeled bottle, drink it now and be grateful you made this wine’s acquaintance.