Zinfandel is famous for the delicious richness of its fruit, and this aspect is never stronger than when a wine is young. And, if the occasion calls for the brightness of youth, this is when the wine should be drunk. But there is more, much more.

art of the question of aging Zinfandel has to do with the perception of the taster. Lacking famous antecedents in Europe, expectations for Zinfandel are often different and less. How can this New World baby possibly approach the sophistication of the best of Europe? Flavors and nuances of mature wine for some people are thus only associated with the classics of the Old World, be they Burgundies or Barolos. At our house, however, if let us say a Cabernet is aging well, we compliment it as tasting like a mature Zinfandel.

Those factors which allow some wines to add the sensual qualities of maturity to the best attributes of youth are primarily three: balance, first and foremost, of fruit, tannins and acids; intensity, rather than either weight or high alcohol; and structure, the backbone or core around which a wine may develop. All aspects of a wine are modified by bottle age. The color change is brought on by the polymerization of phenols, principally anthocyanins. Polymerization of other tannins and acids also occur, most notably seen as tartrate deposits. The varietally based aromas of wine are augmented by the bouquet of aging, in part because of the increase in esters from the interaction of acids and alcohol, and in part because of the enhancement of aroma as the wine achieves oxidative stabilization.

What is the result? For the best wines - retention, complexity and integration. The varietal character and basic fruit core of the wine is retained, the berry and spice that make Zinfandel Zinfandel. Around this core develop additional flavors and bouquet - sandalwood, nutmeg, cardamom with small admixtures of minerals and vanilla. No aspect of the wine dominates, but all components are seamlessly integrated, with the core of the wine providing the focus for this increased complexity. Perfume, silk and seduction!