Are you a reactionary or a progressive? We are not talking about politics, but wine.
As a reactionary, you resist change and stay with the same old familiar labels or varieties. As a progressive, your horizons of choice are infinite and you love exercising it.
If that is you, may we introduce you to Artezin Wines, a company that panders to the progressive by offering an outstanding assortment of wine varieties to choose from.
We had the opportunity and joy of sampling a small portion of the Artezin portfolio, beginning with two zinfandels.
Sonoma, Mendocino countiesThe first was a 2011 from the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County ($27), followed by a 2012 from Mendocino County ($17). Yes, there was a noticeable difference between them.
The Mendocino zin was as true a zin as one could expect - stressing boysenberry, raspberry and cherry layered with black pepper, allspice and cinnamon.
The Dry Creek zin, typical of wines from that district, was a bit more austere - featuring raspberries, cherries and cinnamon.
The real difference showed up in the background aromas. This proved to be a fascinating learning experience even for us, who have tasted more than 100 zins.
2011 Contra Costa County Mourvedre ($32)Here, we enter undiscovered territory, sampling wines you may not have heard about.
First up was one of our favorites, the 2011 Contra Costa County Mourvedre.
A beautiful ruby color greets the eye and the aromas of boysenberry, pomegranate and cinnamon rise from the glass when the wine is poured. The flavor is a mixture of licorice and blackberry. There is, however, a haunting, almost indefinable, undertone running through the wine, imparting a regal elegance. The finish is a compilation of the totally unexpected flavors of fruit, roasted walnuts and chocolate.
2011 Charbono ($30)Not a grape variety easily found, the charbono is very interesting and worthy of far more attention than it gets.
This wine's aroma displays copious amounts of blackberry, currants, cassis and licorice, leading to a smooth blueberry and blackberry finish, which lasts for a very long time.
2011 Carignan ($26)Carignan, called Kerrigan by the old timers, is a wine often used as filler in the less expensive red wines and rarely seen as an individual wine.
Artezin takes good care of the old timers by offering their 2011 Carignan.
This deep red-colored wine offers the aromas of bing cherry, blackberry and licorice, with a background of cocoa and peppercorn ending in a slam-bang raisin-filled finish.
Why only a few wineries have made use of this very interesting grape is a mystery to us.
Artezin Verdelho ($20)Verdelho, a white grape, is most recognized as the main ingredient in the sweet, sherry-like wine called madera. When made as a dry table wine, verdelho produces a sharp, highly acidic wine that is reminiscent of a French Chablis. The Artezin Verdelho has taken up the challenge to claim this difficult variety.
The highly acidic tendencies of this wine are held in check so as to allow aromas of honeysuckle and pineapple to invite the first sip. Rather than sharp and acidic, this wine has a soft, full flavor displaying tropical fruits such as pineapple and guava with a delightful spiciness in the finish.
This is a very interesting wine and a way to get away from the same old, same old that white wines have become.
Artezin 2011 Petite Sirah ($36)We end this journey with an old friend, petite sirah. The Artezen 2011 Petite Sirah is a gem.
It has the deep red/violet color this variety is famous for. Dark summer berries and chocolate dominate the aroma and flavor with hints of vanilla and oak. The finish, one of the outstanding features of this wine, is long and laced with cracked black pepper.
This wine is hard to forget.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and manages ArticlesOnWine.com. He can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.
