Chronic Negress

Some wines I didn't drink this week

Many thanks to Dale Cruse over at Drinks Are on Me for this month’s wine task. The Negress had been in a Zinfandel mode of late (see this post for when it didn’t go so well) so what better wine to try than a Primitivo? It also happened that the Negress was in New Orleans indulging in sensory and humidity overload. There had been meals upon meals, most notably at August where a 2007 Vidal-Fleury Muscat de Beaume de Venise Reserve slid down the throat like nectar. I was singing a chorus or two of “Muscat Love” (Willis Allan Ramsey would have been proud ) as I lilted back to my hotel.

Anyway, back to the Primitivo. After eating enough food at the Association of Food Journalists to consider becoming a part-time bulimic, I headed to Beard award winner Donald Link’s Cochon for dinner my last night in town. While I was waiting for an old friend and his partner, I tried a glass of 2006 A Mano Primitivo. What struck me about the A Mano was its earthy rusticity. The Lodi Zin I had quaffed most recently was plummy and over-the-top fruit forward. That kind of sensory overload is fun on occasion, but the A Mano struck me as a more agreeable everyday wine. It would be kind to food and not deliver a headache beyond belief. The A Mano also had more notes of blackcurrant and blackberries than the 7 Deadly Zins, which pushes it sensual satin in your face with a hint of sugar. You could easily say that 7 Deadly Zins is cheap satin while the A Mano is more like raw silk.

Our take home message? The Primitivo is worth seeking out when you want a wine that’s a little less belligerent than some of the California Zins. I’ll admit some nights I’m up for that knockout punch, but the Primitivo’s rugged caress is a lovely alternative.