Bonneau Wines 2004 “Shenandoah Valley” Zinfandel

Jun 13th, 2008 by admin

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If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes even better than that, as is the case with today’s wine from Bonneau Wines.

Mission Codename: The Gold Rush

Operative: Agent

Objective: Return to Bonneau Wines, a Wine Spies Operative favorite, and procure a stellar summer wine, suitable for BBQ pairing

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Bonneau Wines

Wine Subject: 2004 ‘Shenandoah Valley’ Zinfandel

Winemaker: John Bambury

Backgrounder:

The Shenandoah Valley in California’s Amador County Gold Country was rescued from obscurity thanks to the fantastic Zinfandel that is grown in the region. There are over 2,000 acres of planted grape varieties in the region and it gained formal appellation status in 1983. The region boasts over 16 ‘local’ wineries as well as vineyards for many other California wineries

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dark purple and deep garnet with excellent clarity (not at all inky) with pinkish-garnet edges and long slow slender legs demonstrating a slightly thick viscosity.

Smell – Bold and profound, with blackberries, spicy black pepper, herbaceous green pepper, baking spices and hints of licorice.

Feel – Smooth and dry with a spiciness that hits you on the tip of your tongue, firm and solid tannins, with a slightly thick and fatty feel that coats the entire palate.

Taste – Well integrated, concentrated and juicy black fruit, tart plums with layers of medium oak, green pepper, spicy black pepper and licorice.

Finish – This wine finishes medium sweet, with its flavors lingering on the palate, inviting another sip (or in our case gulp).

Conclusion – The 2004 Bonneau Shenandoah Valley Zinfandel is true to its varietal characteristics and at the price, is an exceptional QPR value. Lovers of Zinfandel will naturally enjoy this wine as well as more casual wine drinkers as its got all the Zin qualities we love, but it doesn’t hit you over the head, making drinking this wine very enjoyable. This wine is perfect for pairing with your most creative grilled meats or a simple, but perfect, cheese-burger.

Mission Report:

Today’s mission was a simple one. Since you loved the Bonneau Chardonnay that we brought you recently (you did pick some up before we ran out, riiiight?), we called in to our winery contact and asked them for a perfect summer BBQ wine. Instantly, today’s great Shenandoah Valley Zinfandel was offered up.

I have found that only a handful of red wines can stand up to the rigors presented by typical American BBQ fare. Most are overpowered by grilled meats, coleslaw, potato salad or more exotic offerings. And while I have found a few Zins that stand up well, today’s wine pairs with them all.

John and his crew are great folks and we applaud their great juice! With today’s wine, dear Operative, you have struck (purple) gold.

In case you missed it, what follows was our original Bonneau mission report:

You would think that I would finally get it through my thick skull that there really are such things as great white wines. With Central Command sending me on more and more white wine missions, I certainly am exposed to some remarkable whites.

Maybe I am being too true to my name, but I continue to resist. Today’s wine may finally drive it into my thick skull that there are white wines that are interesting enough to please even me.

John Bambury is part of that rare American breed who has generations of winemaking in his blood. His family, originally from the bordeaux region of France, settled in Sonoma county in the 1920s, where they farmed a small parcel of land, growing grapes for prestigious wineries in Napa and Sonoma. In 2002, John created his own winery and today he makes wonderful wines. Even those white ones that please even me!

I enjoyed this wine with the unusual pairing of British pubb-style Baked Beans on Toast. You know what? It totally worked and the combination was a delicious surprise! John recommends a more traditional pairing of light pasta, poultry and veal or brie and crackers. I suspect that this wine, with its balanced acids and brightness, would work with almost any pairing. Let me know what you try this wine with!