20 Nov Please The Palate Wine of the Week: RZN Wines 2022 Mencía, Nolan Ranch Vineyard, Alisos Canyon AVA

Do you need a reason to open a bottle of wine named RZN Wines? I have some reasons why! A boutique producer, minimal intervention winemaking, and most importantly, delicious wines, especially the RZN Wines 2022 Mencía, Nolan Ranch Vineyard, Alisos Canyon AVA, the Please The Palate wine of the week.

About RZN Wines

RZN Wines was started by Nate Axline, his wife Rachelle, and their son Zane. Rearrange the order of the names and you get RZN (Rachelle, Zane, Nate). That was one of the reasons for the name of their winery but there were other reasons as well. But do you really need more reasons to understand the name RZN Wines?

RZN Wines was started in 2020. A dedicated skateboarder, Nate worked in the skate/surf/snow industry for 12 years. He worked in skate/surf shops and ran a national sales team for an outerwear brand. And it was skateboarding that brought him to wine after a skater friend helped get him a job pouring wine in winery tasting room. Nate’s curiosity was  piqued and he started asking questions and tasting lots of wine. A year later, he left the skate/surf/snow world to shift to wine. After a few jobs, he went to work at Liquid Farm wines, first as Tasting Room Manager and then as Assistant Winemaker. And while Nate still works and learns at Liquid Farm, he started RZN with the approach “less is more.” That means less chemicals in the vineyard, less additions in the winery, and less manipulations.

About Mencía

Mencía, known as Jaen in Portugal, is a medium-bodied red grape variety native to Spain and Portugal on the Iberian Peninsula. Mencía produces a deep red color wine but on the nose it offers beautiful fruit and floral aromatics. The majority of Mencía is planted in Spain and Portugal but there is some planted in California. Mencía is one of 18 varieties planted in the 100-acre Nolan Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley where Nate sources his grapes.

Tasting Notes

The grapes were hand harvested at night and brought to the winery where they were de-stemmed and placed into steel open top fermenters. Approximately 10% was left on stems to add depth. The grapes were cold soaked for 4 days and then underwent gentle punch downs twice a day for three weeks until the wine was dry. Free run juice and pressed juice were aged in neutral oak for 7 months and then bottled unfined and unfiltered. The RZN Mencía has pretty aromas of fresh raspberry, strawberry, and blueberries and hints of earthy herbs. On the palate, the wine is smooth and silky on the palate with acidity that leaves you salivating for more.

Food Pairing

Mencía is a great food wine. It can be paired with meat dishes, including carne asada, grilled steak, turkey, chicken, and roast pork. Mencía can be enjoyed with charcuterie and a selection of cheeses, including White Cheddar, Manchego, Ossau-Iraty, Idiazabal, and Queso Iberico. Mencía can also be paired with dishes with herbs and spices. And it can be paired with vegetable, pasta, and rice dishes. Thanks to the high acidity and low tannins, Mencía can be paired with acidic tomato sauce. So, I enjoyed this wine with pizza and it was a great pairing!

Where To Purchase

The RZN Wines 2022 Mencía, Nolan Ranch Vineyard, Alisos Canyon AVA retails for $35 and can be purchased on the RZN website.