|
|
The Last of the Great Ottimino 2007s
In what Robert Parker would describe as one of the top Zinfandel vintages in a decade, Bill Knuttel was left scratching his head. Indeed, he had turned out one of the richest, most beautifully textured single vineyard Ottimino Zins ever, only to be greeted by the ugliest market in memory. "The 2007 Cabernets came out a year after my Zinfandels. That made all the difference. I was sitting on hundreds of cases one could only dream of making. But in late 2009, there was no one home."
The guy who ranks high on the list of the top Zin-makers in Sonoma started traveling the country looking for distributors. "That was like praying for rain in the Sinai," Knuttel told us. "So I did the only thing that made sense. I went back to my consulting gigs to keep my kids in shoes and cellared the Ottimino 2007s. I knew bottle age was their friend -- and if the world didn't come to an end, I'd try again a year later."
When Bill first contacted us late in 2010, we were intrigued. We'd learned all about Ottimino one afternoon over lunch on 20th Street. Of the 2007s Bill did manage to sell, some made its way to NYC -- a bunch of which was snatched up by Juliette Pope, the talented, young cellar mistress at Gramercy Tavern. The 2007 Ottimino Zinfandel "Estate" paired with chef Michael Anthony's savory roasted duck was a match made in heaven -- something we didn't remember to mention to Mr. Knuttel when negotiating the price for his 2007s.
In 2011, Knuttel proposed two Ottimino Zins on WineAccess. You may well have some downstairs. One was grown by the eccentric Robert Von Weidlich above Occidental, whose tree-like plants ranked with some of the most bizarre we'd ever seen. The second came from the old vines at Biglieri -- a contract Knuttel managed to scoop up when the market turned south. Those wines earned raves from buyers and an aggregate score of 4.01 stars out of 5. Still, when it came to the top 2007 in the Ottimino fold, Knuttel was holding out.
That bottle was drawn from Ottimino's own estate vineyard. Set on prized Goldridge soils, perched precariously on a ridge just 8 miles from the Pacific, if one had to write a script for the perfect growing season, 2007 would be it. But both times we went back to Bill on the heels of successful offers of Biglieri and Von Weidlich, suggesting it was time for the Estate, Knuttel backed off. "I knew I had to sell it," Bill told us. "But at that price? For the 2007 Estate? It may well be the best Zinfandel I've ever made."
The 2007 Ottimino "Estate" is deep purple in color, infused with luscious aromas of blackberries and wild cherry, the requisite sweet Zin herbs. The attack is rich, but beautifully honed. Almost Claret-like in structure, packed with blackberries and small red fruits, the chiseled finish and supple dusty tannins are what make the 2007 Estate so special.
-->
|
|
Tasting Notes
2007 Ottimino Vineyards Zinfandel Estate Russian River Valley
"Classic Russian River Zinfandel. The vineyard is in the Green Valley, and the wine has the wonderful attributes of ripeness, dryness, and acidity, without high alcohol. It's enormously flavorful delivering waves of blackberries, cherries, cola, red licorice, bacon, black pepper and sweet oak. A gorgeous Zin showing class and elegance."
92 points -- Wine Enthusiast
"Deep purple in color, infused with luscious aromas of blackberries, wild cherries, and the requisite sweet Zin herbs. The attack is rich but beautifully honed. Almost Claret-like in structure. Packed with blackberries and small red fruits, the finish here is absolutely chiseled, bracketing all that 2007 opulence with fine, dusty tannin backbone. Drink now-2016."
-- WineAccess Travel Log
|
|
|
By law, wine may ONLY be shipped to the following states: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, KS, LA, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY.
Cart