2011 Elyse Winery Zinfandel Morisoli Vineyard Napa Valley 750 ml

Rutherford Bench: 100-Year-Old Morisoli Vineyard

In the early 1980s, we were paying the rent by waiting tables in the city. On the first Monday of every month, a group of 10 waiters and wine stewards (no one called himself a “somm” back then!) assembled in a private dining room in Midtown. Each of us had contributed 10 bucks towards the purchase of the night’s lineup. Sounds like a pittance today, but trust us, it was PLENTY back then.

It was on a snowy Monday night in January that we were first introduced to Paul Draper’s Ridge “York Creek” Zinfandel. There were two vintages in the evening lineup, the 1976 and 1978. Neither wine bore any resemblance to the vast majority of today’s Zinfandels. Drawn from a Spring Mountain vineyard owned by Fritz Maytag, Draper’s Napa Valley Zinfandel was a picture of red-fruit purity, finely chiseled, in many ways far more Bordeaux- or Claret-like than Zin-like.

The following day we bought a half-case each of the ’76 and ’78. Over the next decade, we added like amounts of the 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, and 1986. Incredibly, almost all of those Draper-authored Napa Valley Zinfandels — true to their Left Bank makeup — are still drinking beautifully.

Why bring this up today? Until the 1980s, Napa Valley was almost as well known for its Zinfandel as its Cabernet Sauvignon. Both varieties need warm days and plenty of sunshine. Both flourish on poor but well-draining rocky, volcanic soils. But when Phylloxera showed up in Northern California in the mid-1980s, and the aphid-like pest went on to ravage most of Napa Valley, nearly every grower on the valley floor did what he had to do. Old, head-trained Zinfandel parcels, many planted in the early 1900s, were ripped out and replaced with Cabernet Sauvignon. Why? Cabernet Sauvignon could be farmed to 7 tons per acre instead of old-vine Zinfandel’s 2-4 tons per acre. At harvest, a ton of Cabernet would fetch twice the price of Zin.

Just a few of Napa Valley’s greatest Zinfandel vineyards would survive. One is Fritz Maytag’s “York Creek” on Spring Mountain. The other is in the heart of the Rutherford Bench. With Scarecrow, Rubicon, Staglin, and Phelps all around, Gary Morisoli continues to farm a small patch of 100-year-old-vine Zinfandel, the same land where his grandfather was born in 1902.

The cool 2011 growing season was magical at Morisoli Vineyard. Gary’s neighbor and close friend, winemaker Ray Coursen of Elyse, turned out a chiseled masterpiece — a truly claret-like Zinfandel that is most reminiscent of Paul Draper’s Ridge Vineyard “York Creek” bottlings of 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, and 1986!

First, a look at the numbers: 14.4% alcohol. 3.45 pH! Total acidity, a refreshing 6.7 g/l!! The 2011 Elyse Morisoli Vineyard Zinfandel is brilliant ruby in hue, infused with luscious aromas of crushed red fruits, black cherry, violets, and sweet spice. Rich, juicy, and plush on the attack, both powerful and light on its feet, packed with wild raspberry preserves, finishing with superb persistence and length.

$38/bottle on release. $18 today — ONLY on WineAccess. For Zin-lovers and Napa Cabernet bargain hunters, this is a MUST CASE BUY!