Wente Beyer Ranch Zinfandel 2011 has aged perfectly

I still remember when I became absolutely obsessed with Zinfandel. It’s not something you find often in Australia, but when I went on my first ever winery tour in California a good few years ago, I fell in love. It was a day of first for me and wine, and this trip certainly started two love affairs. So I am always on the hunt now for the illusive Zinfandel in Australia, to relive my experience in Sonoma and Napa. And the Wente Beyer Ranch Zinfandel 2011 certainly took me back.

I have to admit, this was a bit of accidental ageing. It was an accident because I well and truly forgot that I had this bottle in our cellar, rather than telling myself it wasn’t to be drunk until later. I’ll be honest if I had known it was there this wine would have definitely been consumed well before it got this old! I just can’t help myself when it comes to Zinfandel!

So I unintentionally aged the Wente Beyer Ranch Zinfandel 2011

Wente is one of the few American wine labels you can find quite easily in Australia. It is stocked across most big brand stores, making this Zinfandel find not all that profound. But when I find a Zinfandel, I have to buy it, so this is probably about as much thought process that went into buying the Wente Beyer Ranch Zinfandel 2011. It also meant it was quite affordable, especially as Zinfandel can set you back upwards of $50 depending on where you get it.

This is why I think it probably shouldn’t have been sitting in our cellar aging away while it could have easily made for great drinking wine. But by a happy accident here we are today. I was going through our cellar to find something nice we could drink and I stumbled across it. So I decided now was the time to crack it open and see what aging this Zinfandel might do! I mean we tend to sit on bottles that are more expensive, but what about a wine that’s under $20? Does it really make a difference?

Also, let’s not discount this Zinfandel just because it is under $20. Wente Vineyards is actually America’s oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery. It was established in 1883! They are credited with such amazing feats like importing the first Chardonnay to America, and nowadays over 80% of Californian Chardonnay stems from the Wente Clone. So don’t judge a wine by its price tag, you are drinking wine with hundreds of years of winemaking behind it. We don’t get many American wines here in Australia, so it’s exciting that we can access such a famous vineyard!

Why I loved it

The Wente Beyer Ranch Zinfandel 2011 definitely delivered as a Zinfandel should. It was a punchy wine with a full body and plenty of flavour. The wine was quite fruit-forward with blackcurrant and cherry, with a hint of spices like cloves at the end. I did find it to be quite well balanced for an older wine. It didn’t overwhelm the palate, so for those of you who aren’t massive fans of heavy wine, there is hope for you in this bottle!

So what did the aging do, and was it worth it? Well for the price point this wine when young would have likely had a lot of tannin and acidity. I found with the age that it gave the wine a really smooth finish. The flavours were a lot smokier and deeper, but the wine had a short finish that didn’t hit you in the face with acidity. Now, this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoyed the mellow finish to this full-bodied and fruity wine.

The benefit of aging the Wente Beyer Ranch Zinfandel 2011 was that I think it gave it more balance. It smoothed out the wine and made for a really pleasant taste. Would I do it again? I mean if I forgot about it, yes. But I think this wine would still be equally delicious a bit younger, although punchier. And for such a cheap bottle, you’d be better off just drinking it now, and keeping your cellaring space for other wines.

What to enjoy it with

Zinfandel is a heavy red wine, so it’s best enjoyed with food. As per usual I didn’t take my own advice and enjoyed it before dinner. I don’t think this was the worst decision as the age mellowed the wine out a bit. Drinking without food allowed you to enjoy the more complex flavours.

However, really this wine would shine with food. Because of its heaviness, it wouldn’t pair as well with pasta as other Zinfandels. So I would stick to meats. Think slow-roasted meats or steak. I think a roast beef would be great with this wine. That or a nice lamb dish, or even a tomato-based pork meal. Really most meats would shine with this wine by their side.

The final word on the Wente Beyer Ranch Zinfandel 2011

The Wente Beyer Ranch Zinfandel 2011 was such a surprise. I mean, mainly because I forgot I had it so I stumbled on it. But it was also a surprise as it was interesting to try an aged Zinfandel, particularly as this one wasn’t that expensive. I am always curious to see how aging changes the wine, and I think this was a good test subject! It really brought out the flavours and mellowed the tannins in the wine. Overall I think it improved a wine under $20.

So if you are patient enough, you could easily do this experiment yourself. However, if you hankering to try some Zinfandel, definitely give the Wente Beyer Ranch Zinfandel 2011 a try. It is such a good price point, widely available, and quite tasty. I don’t think you need to age it as long as me, but hey if you are patient it might pay off!