OK, I was a little bit wrong last month when I berated the Wall Street Journal for touting high alcohol wine. Norma and I were two of the lucky 50 people who attended the Hartford Family Winery’s winemaker’s dinner on May 22. Dessert was “Chocolate Clafoutis al’Ancienne, Blueberries, and Hazelnut Croquant.” It was incredible.
I still maintain that most high-alcohol wines are not well-balanced and largely undrinkable. I’ll make exceptions for Hartford, Lynmar Estate, and Kenneth Volk because I trust their winemakers.
But even more incredible was the 2007 Hartford Vineyard Russian River Valley zinfandel ($55 per bottle, get one before they’re gone). Don Hartford has done an incredible job of tending the vineyard and whipping up a wine that is 16.5% alcohol but still balanced. And, yes, the aroma was not pure alcohol. Neither was the flavor.
So I was wrong, but just a tad. I still maintain that most high-alcohol wines are not well-balanced and largely undrinkable. I’ll make exceptions for Hartford, Lynmar Estate, and Kenneth Volk because I trust their winemakers. For all the others, you’ll need a lot of credibility with me to get me to taste them.
Don Hartford has done an incredible job of tending the vineyard and whipping up a wine that is 16.5% alcohol but still balanced.
About the dinner. Chef Taki Laliotitis (if you click the link, scroll down to see Taki’s photo and bio) put together a menu that perfectly complemented the wine selections. For the record, here’s the menu (complete with my scribbling about some of the ingredients):
Hartford Dinner Menu
