Robert Mondavi Private Selection Zinfandel 2008

Este é o segundo vinho do Robert Mondavi que escrevi aqui no Enoleigos. O primeiro foi o surpreendente Chardonnay.

No post sobre o chardonnay eu acabei não escrevendo uma, das muitas, frases que o Mondavi já escreveu que é: “A meal without wine, is like a day without sunshine!”. Quem se envereda neste mundo do vinho e, principalmente, das harmonizações enogastronômicas sabe que ele está coberto de razão!

Este é o primeiro vinho Zinfandel que escrevo por aqui. A espécie de uvas vermelhas  Zinfandel chegou à Califória em 1859 e tornou-se a fonte de ouro para os vinhos baratos. No primeiro boom do vinho californiano,  em 1890 o Zinfandel foi o vinho mais importante e ainda é a espécie de uva mais freqüente nos Estados Unidos. Também pode ser encontrado na Austrália e na África do Sul em pequenas quantidades. Desenvolveu-se bem nos EUA. É mais adequado à aridez, desenvolvendo-se durante alguns anos, semelhante ao Primitivo. Pode ser misturado ao Petite Sirah ou utilizado como única uva para a produção de vinhos.

Hoje a Zinfandel vem produzindo vinhos sensacionais, e ganhando diversos admiradores pelo mundo.

Uma curiosidade, que poucos sabem, é que a Zinfandel é, por muitas vezes, considerada idêntica a italiana Primitivo. A história se desenrola desde 1972, vejam:

Zinfandel was long considered "America's vine and wine", but when University of California, Davis (UCD) professor Austin Goheen visited Italy in 1967, he noticed how wine made from Primitivo reminded him of Zinfandel. Others also made the connection about that time. Primitivo was brought to California in 1968, and ampelographers declared it identical to Zinfandel in 1972. The first wine made from these California vines in 1975 also seemed identical to Zinfandel. In 1975, PhD student Wade Wolfe showed that the two varieties had identical isozyme fingerprints.

 Dr. Lamberti of Bari had suggested to Goheen in 1976 that Primitivo might be the Croatian variety Plavac Mali. By 1982 Goheen had confirmed that they were similar but not identical, probably by isozyme analysis. Some Croatians, however, became convinced that Plavac Mali was the same as Zinfandel, among them Croatian-born winemaker Mike Grgich. In 1991 Grgich and other producers came together as the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) with the objectives of promoting the varietal and wine, and supporting scientific research on Zinfandel. With this support, UCD professor Carole Meredith went to Croatia and collected over 150 samples of Plavac Mali[29] throughout Dalmatia, in collaboration with the University of Zagreb.

 In 1993, Meredith used a DNA fingerprinting technique to confirm that Primitivo and Zinfandel are clones of the same variety. Comparative field trials have found that "Primitivo selections were generally superior to those of Zinfandel, having earlier fruit maturity, similar or higher yield, and similar or lower bunch rot susceptibility." This is consistent with the theory that Primitivo was selected as an early-ripening clone of a Croatian grape.

 By 1998, Meredith's team realized that Plavac Mali was not Zinfandel but rather that one was the parent of the other. In 2000 they discovered that Primitivo/Zinfandel was one parent of Plavac Mali. The other parent of Plavac Mali was determined by Ivan Pejić and Edi Maletić (University of Zagreb) to be Dobričić, an ancient variety from the Adriatic island of Šolta.

 This discovery narrowed down the search to the central Dalmatian coastal strip and its offshore islands. Eventually a matching DNA fingerprint was found among the samples. The match came from a vine sampled in 2001 in the vineyard of Ivica Radunić in Kaštel Novi.[29] This Crljenak Kaštelanski ("Kaštela Red") appears to represent Primitivo/Zinfandel in its original home, although some genetic divergence may have occurred since their separation. Meredith now refers to the variety as "ZPC" - Zinfandel / Primitivo / Crljenak Kaštelanski.

 This Croatian vineyard contained just nine Crljenak Kaštelanski vines mixed with thousands of other vines. In 2002, additional vines known locally as Pribidrag were found in the Dalmatian coastal town of Omiš. Both clones are being propagated in California under the aegis of Ridge Vineyards, although virus infections have delayed their release.[34] The first Croatian ZPC wine was made by Edi Maletić in 2005.[35] Meanwhile, plantings of Primitivo have increased in California, where it seems to grow somewhat less vigorously than its sibling. Its wines are reputed to have more blackberry and spice flavors.

Vamos então ao que achei do vinho:

Visual: Garrafa simples e rolha artificial. Cor já puxando pro ameixa deixando transpassar luminosidade. Gotas rápidas, gordas e por toda a taça. O rótulo agrada.

Olfato: Fruta, muita fruta, com um pouco de álcool sobrando, o que é facilmente corrigido com um tempo respirando no decanter. Muita fruta vermelha e pitadas de floral, acredito que violeta (não sou muito bom com flores!). Um toque de especiarias envolve o nariz, em especial pimenta seca. Mais ao final um sutil tostado.

Paladar: Bom ataque inicial, também aqui repleto de fruta. Corpo médio. Taninos suaves, quase macios e retrogosto trazendo bastante adocicado. Acidez no ponto, final longo e muito gostoso.

O que Robert Mondavi fala sobre seu vinho:

Our 2008 Zinfandel is one of our best—a zesty, fruity red produced from Central Coast grapes. Right off the bat, the wine’s aromas reveal a deep core of rich, lively blackberry, blueberry, and black raspberry fruit with hints of enticing black pepper. In the mouth, the bright fruit flavors take on na expressive spice note that carries over the long, savory finish. Superbly balanced, with bright acidity and supple tannins, our 2007 Zinfandel will make a fine match for a wide range of hearty dishes, including pepperoni pizza, burgers, barbecued ribs and chicken, grilled spicy sausages, steaks slathered in onions and mushrooms, herb-marinated lamb chops, and zesty red-sauce pastas.

Winemaking: After gently crushing and destemming the grapes, we fermented the must in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to maintain maximum fruit expression in the finished wine. Full malolactic fermentation gave the wine roundness and depth, while barrel-aging a component of the wine in new French and American oak for 12 months added complexity. Small percentages of Petite Sirah, Merlot, Petite Verdot, and Syrah were added to the final blend to lend softness and lush velvet character to the finished wine.

Blend Percentage: 83% Zinfandel, 6% Petite Sirah, 4% Merlot, 4% Petite Verdot, 3% Syrah.

Appellation: 100% Central Coast, including Santa Barbara and Monterey Counties

Ainda não existem resenhas da Wine Spectator e da Wine Advocate sobre este vinho.

Harmonizei com um suflê de queijo, macarrão ao sugo e filet de frango, que caiu bem pelo corpo médio do vinho e os taninos já macios. Um vinho com uma pequena complexidade, mas sem segredos. Descontraído, para ser bebido sem maiores pretensões mas que com certeza agradará a muitos!

In Vino Veritas!

Gustavo Kauffman (GK)