Bottles were stored in a cellar that was kept in the 49-50 degree range for the last several decades. So this could be considered a glimpse of what these wines would have been five or ten years ago. Corks were all in great shape for their age - with still plenty of elasticity. The cork on the Sutter Home actually came out with a ‘pop’ which is rare for a 39 year old bottle!
1972 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel Lot 2- USA, California, Sonoma County (5/17/2010)
Still fairly dark in the glass wine a nice deep red core and some bricking at the edges. Nose was somewhat reserved at first - dusty leather/cherries/mushrooms… But as the wine saw more air, the ‘volume’ was continually turned-up on the aromatics - violets, roses, more leather, dark cherries and a savory note that I just couldn’t place. Palate was nice from the beginning and only got better with air, putting on weight minute by minute. Dusty cherries, sweet vanilla and tobacco leaf was accompanied by a fantastic lively mouth feel - acid driven, but with still some 38 year old tannin to give some grip and round everything out. Finish was long, driven by ample acidity - but gave a strong iron/iodine note on the finish that would come and go. Beautiful and complex wine that wows me with plenty of life still left.
1982 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel Sonoma County- USA, California, Sonoma County (5/17/2010)
Light red with a brownish tinge at the edges. Shy but complex nose that needs to be coaxed out of the glass with plenty of gentle swirling. Dusty cedar, cigar wrappers, vanilla cherry come first - but the aromatics really open-up with more air - Lavender, white pepper and cinnamon spices. Silky and elegant in the mouth - lighter acidity than the other Swan wines in the group. More cedar, creamy red fruits, some coffee grounds and a clear glimpse of teriyaki beef jerky. Understated but still elegant - requiring more attention to discover the full breadth of complexity. At the end of its life, but still lovely and very much worth an hour of your time.
1983 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel Sonoma County- USA, California, Sonoma County (5/17/2010)
Color was very close to the '82 - red core with significant bricking at the edges. When first opened, there was a lot of energy here - plenty of tannin and acidity. But after about 20 minutes of the bottle just sitting with the cork out, that all but disappeared. Shy nose that never really perked-up with air - some leather, soy sauce, roasted meats and dusty leather. The mouth followed the nose with very savory and reserved notes of old leather, mushroom, roasted meats, and some graphite/flint on the finish. The acidity just didn’t vibe here like it did with the other Swan wines. Not showing any maderization, but not as lively as the other bottles in the group.
1971 Sutter Home Winery Zinfandel Deaver Vineyard- USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County (5/17/2010)
Cork came out all in one piece - with a pop not usually heard with 39 year old bottle. Color was very similar to a mature red burgundy - translucent light red. When first opened this had some serious potential - nice floral nose with lots going on in the mouth. I left the bottle to breath for 20 or so minutes, but was already showing signs of maderization on the nose when I returned - along with some red fruits and bakers spice. The mouth was weird - more notes of oxidation, but there was still actually the sensation of tannin (two things that I have not seen together). Some red fruit, but the nuttiness from oxidation was overwhelming. Wish I had taken more notes when first pulled the cork.
Now that we are about to release this cellar to the public, we opened a few bottles for education purposes. The '72 Swan was the obvious star of the show - gaining more and more weight over an hour or so. I wish I had taken more notes when I first opened the Sutter Home - which had a lot of interest and no signs of oxidation when first opened. Most old wines need 10 to 20 minutes for the funkyness to blow-off… I guess 20 minutes was too much for this one.
The key here was to not compare these with the Zin fruit bombs of today. These wines had more in common Bordeaux of the same age than they did contemporary examples of varietal. Floral, complex and refined - if served blind I would have mistaken them for mature claret that had a particularly sweet red fruit profile - except the Sutter Home which was very light in color.
Very fun stuff! And only reinforces my view that while the big fruity styles of Zin can be fun - I really wish there were more producers making this variety with enough acidity to develop into something like these wines have.
Mike, that’s a really cool post. Many of the zins from that era, in my experience, do indeed resemble older BDX or cabernet. It’s a function, I suspect, of the lower alcohol levels as compared to today’s over-ripe fruit bombs with elevated alcohols.
The old (pre white zin) Sutter Home Deaver zins were treasures in their youths. It’s a shame this one didn’t show better.
Great notes, Mike…of some old…errrr…long-time friends.
The '72 vintage in Calif was pretty miserable because of the heavy rains that made many of them washed out & diluted.
But Joe was very/very successful w/ his ‘72. A biig/strappin’ Zin it was. He was getting grapes from Teldeschi at that point in time.
The SutterHome Deaver Zins (from the first in '68) up until about the '73 or maybe '74 were terrific…classic Amador Zins w/
loads of blackberry/briary/brambly fruit. My favorite of that run was always the '71. A bit surprised that it was not showing
a bit better. I expect other btls will.
Tom
Thanks for the notes. Despite the miserable weather at harvest, the '72 Ridge Geyserville remains one of the greatest wines I have ever tasted (at age 34).
What a treat, Mike. Great lineup. Those old Swan Zins can have so much character. Not sure if I’ve ever had the three you tasted here. They each sound interesting. That 72 sounds really special. Well done.
Swan Zins from 1968 to 1974 are legendary. I’ve drunk all except the '68. Note that there were 2 lots of 1972 Zin. The '68 was a home-made wine. The winery wasn’t bonded until the 1969 vintage. A friend who tasted the '68 at a Chez Panisse lunch along with all the other vintages above said it was far and away the best. The grapes for all of those came from Teldeschi Vnyd.
Tom’s right about the Sutter Home Zins from the same time period. I’ve drunk all of those except for the '71. Drank many '74 double mags (Special Selection Zin, those were bottled from a particular barrel). At the same friend’s home, he still has his empty imperial of '72 Zin, also a special lot.
Larry – I don’t think I’ve had the 68 Zin, but I did have Joe’s 68 Cabernet. Both made, I believe, with Pedroncelli grapes. A great, still alive wine that was just a lot of fun to drink – for more than simple historical value.
Seemed pretty clear to me that the notes had to do with a ITB tasting prior to the selling of the wines…
I think of these kind of notes as a “heads up” as apposed to a shill. It’s not as if there pallets of these bottles…
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