Old vines often produce unique, interesting wines

I have been intrigued with wines produced from older vines. While vine age does not necessarily translate into wine quality, old vines in the right locations and farmed well can add nuance, intricacy and unique character to the finished wine.

As is the case with all categories of wines, the challenge is finding the good ones. Here are five well worth seeking out.

» 2011 Rail 2 Rail Zinfandel (about $17 a bottle): Produced from 48-year-old, head-trained vines (vines grown solely from their stumps, unassisted by wires) in Lodi, Calif., this zin fulfills our search for value-driven wines from this less-than-heralded region.

Lodi features family-owned farms worked for three and four generations. This means cheaper land and old vines — therefore the makings of terrific value. Throw into this equation the winemaking skill of phenom Eric Laumann and you’ve got an interesting, sumptuous, food-friendly zin that certainly overdelivers for the dollar.

» 2011 Robert Biale Zinfandel "Black Chicken" (about $37): I recently visited this winery in Napa Valley, and the timing couldn’t have been better. I was able to walk the estate vineyards and taste grapes nearly ready for picking.

Black Chicken vineyard, featuring 30-something-year-old, head-pruned vines (pruned from a free-growing stump) comprises the very core and essence of this cuvee, supplemented by both old- and young-vine fruit from several other vineyards.

Each of the vineyards adds interest to the magic of this highly acclaimed zin, which I could clearly taste in the grapes themselves.

I also was fascinated by how, unlike many other zin producers, Robert Biale chooses to use Burgundian oak barrels and a gentler approach in winemaking; this explains why his wines are delicious and balanced right out of the gate.

» 2011 Neyers "Sage Canyon Cuvee" (about $26): Here is one of winemaker Tadeo Borchardt’s latest "projects," a blend of Rhone grape varieties intended to emulate the character of France’s Chateau­neuf-du-Pape wines.

In 2011, he worked with carignane and mourvedre grapes from 130-year-old vines with ungrafted roots that hailed from the Evangelho vineyard in Oakley, Calif. The grenache originates from Clemente Hill and the syrah from a hillside of remarkable quality.

The wine is foot-stomped and wild-yeast fermented with nothing added along the way. I love how its delicious, wildly rustic and Old World style is coupled with the ripeness created by the California sunshine.

» 2011 Paul Mathew Valdiguie "Turner Vineyard" (about $22): Here is an absolutely delicious, pretty, light red from an organically farmed, 2-acre parcel of 70-year-old vines in Knight’s Valley, Calif.

The grape variety is valdiguie (Napa Gamay), and the vines are head-pruned and dry-farmed, or farmed with no irrigation. Crafted by a longtime sommelier, it makes sense that he is looking for tasty wines that work best at the dinner table. The wine falls somewhere between pinot noir and Beaujolais in style, delightful to drink at lunch or dinner.

Because only 75 to 200 cases are produced per year, grab a bottle if you find it.

» 2009 Carol Shelton Monga Zin (about $24): Carol Shelton is a standout producer of the zinfandel grape variety. Her Monga Zin uses grapes grown in the Juan Lopez vineyard, planted in 1918 in the Cucamonga Valley of southern California.

The organically farmed, rocky clay parcel is surrounded on three sides by freeways and exists amid desert-like conditions. The vines look like they barely survive and are typically just 18 inches tall, with a yield of a scant half ton per acre.

Shelton displays her chops by producing a wine that is delicious, well-balanced and wonderfully textured with no heaviness or gaudiness, and for these qualities, I seek it out every year. Kudos to her.

———

Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier and a partner in the DK Restaurants group. Follow his blog at chuckfuruya.com.