Page 41 - the NOISE April 2014

Tarantula Hawk (ta·ran·tu·la hawk): noun 1. A large spider-hunting wasp of the South Western United States (Genus Pep- sis, Family Pompilidae) which targets and paralyzes tarantula with its sting, lays an egg inside the spider’s abdomen, and then places the host in its wasp nest to be vora- ciously devoured by its young hatchling.
Strictly by definition, this is not for the faint of heart. In terms of wine, this is a pleasure worthy of indulgence. Let me intro- duce you to Cellar Dwellers’ 2012 Tarantu- la Hawk Zinfandel, a.k.a.“T-Hawk”, for which I had the honor of reviewing for my inaugu- ral literary venture with The Noise. This rich, bold, red Zinfandel was passed along to me through the grapevine, pun intended, from winemaker John Scarbrough of Fire Moun- tain Wines and Cellar Dwellers Wine Com- pany. Bottle in hand, I called upon some of my favorite wine geeks and we gathered in pow-wow to giggle, indulge, and recognize this excellent, 100% Arizona wine.
“Inspiration for the wine label comes from the Arizona landscape and the auspicious sighting of Tarantula Hawk wasps swarm- ing around our first batch of grapes,” said Mr. Scarbrough. “After the harvest, a lot of the wasps were in the fruit bins and they came with us on the five-plus hours of driving from Wilcox. It seemed like an easy choice to name the wine after these amazingly large wasps.”
The wasps traveled with them all the way back to their winemaking facility on Page Springs Road in Cornville, and continued to swarm while the crew processed the fruit.
The winemaker’s first shot at Zinfandel was the 2008 Tarantula Hawk Zinfandel and by 2012, Mr. Scarbrough had found a new Zinfandel clone, from Sonoma County’s his- toric Rockpile appellation, growing in South- ern Arizona. Located on the eastern slopes of the Dragoon Mountains near Wilcox, the Rock Pile vines offered high quality grapes loosely clustered with consistently even rip- ening. In addition to sourcing better grapes from a new location, the winemaker select- ed yeast isolated from the same parent vine- yard, which also happens to be one of his fa- vorite types of yeast to use for fermentation, adding a little something special to the wine.
Zinfandel is often praised for its ability to reflect both its terroir and its winemaker’s style and skill. By tending to such meticu- lous detail, the resulting wine is an excellent representation of this winemaker’s talent.
As our tasting panel assembled in my tiny Jerome apartment, we decided to start with a low-tier Zinfandel, then Tarantula Hawk Zinfandel, and finish with a Sonoma County Zinfandel, made from a well-established Cali-
fornia label, to create a scale for comparison. My guests were Danielle Vorves from Ca- duceus Cellars, Cody Burkett from Passion Cellars, Brandon Matlack from Cellar 433, and a tall, dark, handsome stranger who will go unnamed.
Upon pouring the wine and swirling the juice in the glass, we smell; earl grey tea or perhaps a darker variety of tea leaves, wet forest floor, autumn in a glass, a hint of raisin and spice, a dash of lavender, maybe a little bit of happy blueberry, and it keeps going.
We taste; this is a dominant wine. Refresh- ingly smooth, refined tannins, black licorice, beautiful Arizona spice. The right amount of heat at 14.2% alcohol balances well with the big, jammy fruit flavors and the finish is long and smooth!
This wine is rich, voluptuous and fleshy ... refleshing! We all agreed this would pair well with a number of rich meats and cheeses, maybe even smoked salmon, or better yet, another glass and some friends!
After all the glasses were empty and the purple-toothed smiles came out, the tribe conceded it wasn’t too far off from our big Cali Zin, rating pretty high on our scale. It was a crowd favorite because it seemed to touch each one of us in a different way, bringing forth some nostalgia through flavor and bouquet.
Overall, this is a solid red Zinfandel from Arizona made by a master of his craft. I do believe I will be adding a few more bottles of this Zinfully delicious wine to my collection in the near future.
If you’d like to experience this wine or learn more about the winemaker and label visit Fire Mountain Wines Tasting Room in Old Town Cottonwood at 1010 Main Street. FireMountainWines.com
| Lisa Kren is a longtime wine aficionado in her own right. lmkren@gmail.com
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