Maker: Elyse Winery, Napa, California, USA
Grapes: 87% Zinfandel, 13% others (Muscat, Syrah, Carignane and more). Field blend.
Place of origin: Morisoli Vineyard, Rutherford AVA, Napa Valley, California, USA
Vintage: 2009
ABV: 14.6%
Price: $45 (We think. Didn’t save the recipt)
Note: Not sold in Michigan retail stores but they do ship.
Appearance: Dark crimson.
Nose: Blueberry jam, wild blackberry, cherry, toasted oak, a squirt of Meyer lemon
Palate: Full bodied. Jammy but well balanced with oak, clove, black currant, black and blueberries with a little burn on the back end.
Finish: Medium long. Chewy oak tannins, dried fig. Clean, but leaves me craving another sip.
Parting words: Elyse Winery is a small family located near Yountville, California that draws from vineyards in other sections of Napa Valley, including this one from the also family-owned Morisoli Vineyard. Morisoli is 57 acres located at the base of Mt. Saint John at the southern end of the Rutherford AVA. The vineyard is best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, but Zinfindel is grown there too, and has been for over one hundred years. Elyse has been working with the the family for decades and has produced a Morisoli Cab and Zin every for every vintage back to 1986.
When my wife and I were contemplating tacking on a trip to Napa to a trip to Northern California for my cousin’s wedding (see “Two Days in Napa”) Elyse was recommended to us by our friends Jessica and Brian who have been members of their wine club since a trip to Napa they took a few years ago. The experience at the Elyse tasting room was a contrast from the big, slick tasting rooms that take in most of the wine tourist trade in Napa. It’s in a small, no frills white building and the pourers were all family members or winemakers. The only wine we picked up there was this one, but they were all quite good and reasonably priced, for Napa.
We were saving it for a special occasion so when we finally sold our tiny old house last month, we decided that was the perfect special occasion. I grilled up a couple T-bone steaks in my cast iron grill pan to go with the wine and it all worked together perfectly. Sometimes a great wine and a great piece of meat is all you need for a great meal.
The price is reasonable for a single vineyard old vine California Zin of this quality. It could probably have been cellared for another two or more years, but it is drinking beautifully now. Elyse Winery 2009 Morisoli Vineyard Zinfandel is highly recommended.
Sipology 