Wine of the week: Kokomo, 2019 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Pauline’s Vineyard

With many local winemakers pouring their zinfandels this week at ZinEx 2023 in San Francisco, I decided to have a pre-tasting of some of these local bottlings.

With a lineup of seven, the winner was the Kokomo, 2019 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Pauline’s Vineyard. It just edged out the runner-up, Wilson, 2020 Coyote Artist Collection Zinfandel, Sonoma County, both rated 4.5 stars.

None of the wines in the flight below disappointed. They’ll all be poured at some point during ZinEx 2023, an event of wine tastings, talks and more to highlight zinfandel, Thursday to Saturday, Jan. 26 to 28. More than half the 72 wineries that will be pouring wines at Saturday’s Grand Tasting are from Sonoma County. Find more information and tickets at zinfandelexperience.com.

Here’s the full lineup of the seven wines I tasted, with detailed tasting notes, listed in order of their rating:

Kokomo, 2019 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Pauline’s Vineyard, 14.8%, $38, 4.5 stars. (The winery is rolling over to 2021 vintage soon and skipping the 2020 the vintage due to the wildfires that year.) This is a balanced zinfandel with aromas of blackberry and black raspberry that follow through to the palate, ending with a kiss of caramel. It’s complex, layered and impressive.

Wilson, 2020 Coyote Artist Collection Zinfandel, Sonoma County, 15.8%, $55, 4.5 stars. This jammy zin has gorgeous, concentrated red fruit — red raspberry with a streak of cranberry and a touch of caramel. It’s well-crafted.

Bella Vineyards, 2019 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Maple Vineyards, 14.8%, $60, 4 stars. Weighted to red fruit, this snappy zin has an undercurrent of spice. It’s savory with notes of forest floor, cracked black pepper and blackberry. Pretty.

Kunde, 2019 Century Vines Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, 14.8%, $65, 4 stars. This edgy zinfandel is briary and spicy with crisp red fruit — cranberry and rhubarb — and a hint of vanilla. It’s smart, with a lingering finish.

Limerick Lane, 2020 Zinfandel, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma County, Monte Rosso Vineyard, 15.2%, $72, 4 stars. A zin with pitch-perfect balance, it’s layered with notes of blackberry, cherry and a hint of tobacco. Nice length and spot-on.

Mauritson Wines’ Rockpile, 2019 Zinfandel, Sonoma County, Rockpile Ridge Vineyard, 14.5%, $50, 4 stars. Complex and layered with notes of blackberry, plum and coffee, with a streak of red raspberry running through it. Tasty.

Seghesio, 2021 Zinfandel, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, Home Ranch Vineyard, 15.5%, $65, 4 stars. Aromas and flavors of red raspberry, cherry, plum and cracked black pepper. Concentrated fruit and juicy, with a lingering finish. Top-rate.

As for the winning Kokomo wine, the goal was to make it in the classic Dry Creek zinfandel style, according to Erik Miller, owner/winemaker of Healdsburg’s Kokomo Winery.

“Some people would refer to it as claret,” Miller said. “For me, this style is food-friendly, agreeable and balanced.”

What people would find most surprising about his winemaking, Miller said, is his hands-off approach.

“We use 100% native yeast, and we focus on minimal-intervention winemaking,” he said.

And making his zinfandels in the Dry Creek Valley gives them an edge, he added.

“I believe this is where the best zinfandels in the world are grown,” said the winemaker, who founded his winery in 2004. “I’ve been able to work with this varietal for long enough to see it through a variety of vintage conditions, from cold to hot, rainy to drought.”

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5310.