From Lucha Vino
You say Primitivo. I
say Zinfandel. Whichever name you want
to give this grape, one thing is for sure.
You need to checkout Hard Row to Hoe's new release, the 2009 Zinfandel . This voluptuous wine conjures up images of
Mae West’s sultry invitation to “Come on up and see me some time…”
Don and Judy Phelps are making some of the most interesting
wines in the Lake Chelan AVA today. The
creativity and wit begin with the winery's name and extend through the names
many of their wine's carry on their labels.
Don is a great host at their tasting room regaling visitors
with the story of an industrious entrepreneur, a row boat, lonely miners and
the ladies of Point Lovely. (Read more here. Or, better yet, stop in to the winery for a
visit and hear the story first hand.)
Back to the wine.
Judy is the winemaker, Don does most of the vineyard management. Judy has a has a Master of Science degree in Zoology from the
University of Connecticut Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department and
Completed the UC Davis Wine Making Certificate in 2006 (the first
graduating class). She began making wine
in her garage and went straight into the pro ranks starting Hard Row to Hoe
with Don in 2006.
Judy definitely likes variety. When I asked her about her favorite wine to
make she responded with “Trying something new!”
You can see her pioneering spirit represented in the 12 different wines
included in the 2009 Hard Row catalog.
One of the most challenging wines Judy has made is a Cinsault
that is still in the barrel. The great
challenge for Judy is allowing the grape to express its character rather than
putting it through an exhaustive program to achieve a flavor profile based on a
preconceived notion. Judy prefers to
work with the character of the grape rather than blending it away through the
use of barrels or blending in other grape varieties.
As a result, you will see many single varietal wines in the
Hard Row to Hoe Catalog. Judy can take this approach with her single varietal
wines since Hard Row to Hoe sells the majority of their wine directly through
their tasting room. Selling through
their tasting room is a luxury that allows Judy to explore the unusual grapes
and deliver some delicious wines for all of us to enjoy.
2009 is the second offering of Hard Row’s Zinfandel. They sourced the grapes from the Rosebud
vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, purchasing all they had to offer. How much was that? Somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 tons –
Judy says that is the maximum Don can haul with his truck! It is also all the Zinfandel that Rosebud
grew in 2009. This grape needs a long
growing season which makes it difficult to grow in Washington. As a result, 2009 is only the second Zin
release from Hard Row. The last one was
in 2006. The need for a long growing
season is also the reason you will not find very many wineries making Zinfandel
from Washington Fruit.
This Zinfandel is not like those you may have grown
accustomed to from our California neighbors to the South. Judy really does let the grape do the talking
and it shows. The Rosebud Zinfandel was
aged for 12 months in French Oak Barrels that ranged in age from one to three
years. After barrel aging the juice was
aged for an additional 6 months in flex tanks (a relatively new material that
is permeable to allow for additional breathing with less character influence on
the wine).
The Hard Row Zin is shapely, luscious and has curves in all
the right places. The nose shows notes
of Raspberry, Strawberry and a light earthy smokiness that gives way to a
palate featuring similar red berry character along with some tart rhubarb and
spices all rolling into a cranberry tinged finish. In the old Point Lovely parlance you might
say this Zin is a “Lovely Tart.” One that
could very well have induced many a miner to ante up and make that rowboat trip
across the lake!
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