Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Pedroncelli 2017 Mother Clone Zinfandel, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

Written by Allison Levine on November 20, 2019

Wine

The third Wednesday of November has been declared National Zinfandel Day. We think of Zinfandel as California’s grape and one family who has been making Zinfandel for almost 100 years is the Pedroncelli family. John Pedroncelli Sr. first purchased the ranch in Dry Creek Valley in 1927, which had been planted to Zinfandel in 1904. The Mother Clone vineyard is located on the hillsides surrounding the winery. Individual blocks were replanted in the early 1980s using selected budwood from old vines and today, this second generation vineyard, as well as a small portion of 100+ year old vines make up the Pedroncelli 2017 Mother Clone Zinfandel, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley, the Please The Palate wine of the week.

The Zinfandel vines are all head pruned and hand-picked. The grapes were destemmed and cold soaked for 24-48 hours. The grapes were inoculated with selected yeast, followed by daily pump-overs and fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The grapes were then pressed and aged for twelve months in American oak, 30 percent of which is new oak. Nineteen percent of Petite Sirah was added for color intensity and structure.

The 2017 Mother Clone Zinfandel is a classic Dry Creek Zinfandel with spicy-berry notes. On the nose, the wine has aromas of ripe blackberries and red fruits, as well as baking spices. On the palate, the wine is juicy and ripe with jammy berry flavors with notes of vanilla and black pepper. The wine has a long spicy finish with round tannins. This is a wine you can enjoy now or hold on to for a few more years. The best part is that this wine is only $19 and can therefore be enjoyed any day of the week with grilled meats, roasted meats and more!

Celebrate National Zinfandel Day every day with the Pedroncelli 2017 Mother Clone Zinfandel Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley, the Please The Palate wine of the week.

Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Flor de Nelas Emiliano Campos Encruzado Branco 2015, Dao, Portugal

Written by Allison Levine on November 13, 2019

Wine

Looking at the glass, the wine is a citrus yellow color. When you stick your nose in the glass, you would be hard pressed not to guess the wine was a Chablis or a White Burgundy. But, it is not a Chardonnay and it is not a French wine. It is Encruzado from the Dão region in Portugal and the Flor de Nelas Emiliano Campos Encruzado Branco 2015, Dao, Portugal is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

The Dão region is in the heart of Portugal, located just over an hour south of the city of Porto. One of the primary white grapes indigenous to the region is Encruzado which thrives in the granite soils of the Dão. Encruzado is capable of producing exceptional white wines that can easily be mistaken for a Premier Cru Chablis.

The Flor de Nelas Emiliano Campos Encruzado Branco 2015 is fermented over 45 days and then aged in oak barrels for four months. The resulting wine is aromatic with notes of lemon, stone fruit and melon with floral overtones. On the palate, the wine is fresh with a textural mouthfeel and beautiful acidity. There is also a lot of minerality in this wine.

This is a wine that will pair beautifully with white fish, such as sea bass with a buttery sauce, creamy risottos, polenta and roasted root vegetables. This wine will also make a lovely pairing with semi-soft and mild washed rind cheeses.

If you are a fan of white Burgundy, try the Flor de Nelas Emiliano Campos Encruzado Branco 2015, Dao, Portugal. And, to make it even better, this elegant and beautifully textured wine retails for approximately $25.

Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Mettler Wines 2017 Lodi Epicenter Old Vine Zinfandel

Written by Allison Levine on November 6, 2019

Wine

History, tradition, sustainability and family are four qualities of the Mettler family from Lodi, California. One of Lodi’s oldest farming families, they have been farming wine grapes in the Lodi Appellation since the late 1800s. One of the oldest vineyards on the ranch is planted to Zinfandel. This vineyard is located in the “epicenter” of Lodi’s old vine Zinfandel district and hence the wine is called ‘Epicenter’ Old Vine Zinfandel. The Mettler Family 2017 ‘Epicenter’ Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

The 50-year old vineyard is located in the “epicenter” of Lodi’s old vine Zinfandel district. There are 91 acres planted to “old vine” zinfandel. This vineyard, like all of the vineyards on the Mettler Ranch, is farmed both organically and sustainably. The deep-rooted vines are planted in sandy loam soils and thrive in the Lodi climate which has warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters.

The 2017 Mettler Lodi “Epicenter” Old Vine Zinfandel spends 16 months in 80 percent American and 20 percent French oak. 40 percent of the barrels are neutral, 30 percent are new and 30 percent are one-year old. The resulting wine, which is 14.5 percent alcohol,

The wine is a deep red color. On the nose, dark red cherries, blackberries and boysenberry, as well as a touch of tobacco and cedar, jump out of the glass. On the palate the wine is juicy with drying sandy tannins and a mouthwatering finish.

There are 704 cases of the Mettler Family Vineyards 2017 Lodi “Epicenter” Old Vine Zinfandel, the Please The Palate wine of the week, which retails for $24.99.