Things to do / Travel Guide
The Sierras, California's mountainous heartland, has been a major wine area for 150 years. More precisely, it's been a Zinfandel-producing area, and today, this variety of grape shines its ruby light ever brightly. Not to say that's all they produce at these hundreds of wineries, but you'll find nary a winery not without its Zin.
These are probably the best Zinfandels in the world, and it's country where people drink to health, to love and life, and to the wine itself. If you want to taste quintessential Zinfandels, areas like Amador, Calaveras, and El Dorado, will offer you dozens of alternatives. Each one's better than the last. They're also slightly more alcoholic than other wines, and it isn't unusual for your Zinfandel to be at a level of 15%.
Sierra Nevada's Amador Wineries
In Amador County you'll find the Shenandoah Valley, quite possibly the most scenic wine route in California. In these parts you'll just find vineyard after vineyard, some the oldest Zinfandel-producing in the Western Hemisphere.
One of the best wineries in the Shenandoah Valley is Renwood. Living up to its location, this winery produces seven Zinfandels, including an Ice Zinfandel. For this variation, the grapes are harvested at the peak of ripeness and cryogenically frozen for two months. Then they're fermented for six months, and barrel-aged for a year. The freezing period causes the juice to obtain maximum concentration - in other words, it's no longer juice but syrup. What you end up with is a nose of fresh spring fruit - tangerines, berries, pears; and caramel, vanilla, and berries on the palate.
Renwood offers more, though. The Grandpère Zinfandel is harvested from the vineyard containing the oldest Zinfandel clone in the U.S., reputed to be some 130 years old. The fruit has deeply-concentrated flavors; the resultant wine is ruby purple and greets the nose with scents of blackberry, coffee, and spices. The tannins are dense, the flavors include black cherry, plum, and anise.
Another winery worth your attention is Drytown Cellars, which makes the driest Zinfandels around. All the grapes come from the area, and with the vintner's masterful blending of the fruits of different areas makes for a particularly jammy, big wine. Another signature wine is an inter-varietal blend, including Californian Merlot grapes and Zinfandel from Calaveras and Santa Clara.
Sierra Nevada's Calaveras and El Dorado Wineries
Thus far from Amador. How about a Calaveras highlight! A particularly scenic winery, perfect for events and sporting fantastic wines of different kinds, is Domaine Becquet Winery. The wines are produced in the French style, which means slightly less alcohol and less oak flavor from the barrels. Mention goes to the dry Sangiovese Rose, an interesting twist on the typical semidry rose wines. The Zinfandel Grande Reserve 2002 stems from the grapes of five different vineyards, for a wine dangerously close to perfection.
Amador in the middle, Calaveras to the south, and El Dorado to the south. El Dorado is a mountainous area, with many microclimates in imitation of the Southern Rhone and Bordeaux regions in France.
One example of what esteem an El Dorado winery can attain is David Girard Vineyards. The 85 acres of vineyard produce varieties like Chardonnay, Grenache, and Syrah. The vintners have really grown to love the Rhone wines, and it shows. The Grenache, a favorite of the vintners, contains smells of strawberry and cherry, and emits flavors of these and currants.
Wineries in Lake Tahoe, Reno, Yosemite, Sequoia, in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains
Wineries
|
|
|