Mendocino County vintners have long chafed at the praise heaped on Napa and Sonoma wines that include Mendocino fruit -- but don’t have to mention it under percentage-based labeling laws. “Coro Mendocino” is their response: a blended wine that anyone in the county can make, as long as they used prescribed grapes, blending, and aging parameters. “The rules are really tough,” says Sally Ottoson of Pacific Star, “because the whole point is to dial in a hand-crafted wine that shows what Mendocino can do.”

Coro must contain at least 40% Zinfandel and significant (but lesser) amounts of Syrah, Petite Sirah, and other Mediterranean varieties, which Coro vintners say are the “heritage” grapes of the county. (While “Coro” means “chorus” in both Spanish and Italian, the songbook effectively excludes Anderson Valley, the best-known appellation in the county due to its superb Pinot Noir.) Other rules specify at least a year of barrel aging and another year in the bottle before release. Wines that meet all the technical requirements must still pass a review by other winemakers.

Eight wineries offered a Coro from the debut vintage of 2001, and in June nine wineries released 2002s. I tasted all these wines twice blind and once with the winemakers, and certain themes are already emerging. While Zinfandel and Syrah combined for nearly three-fourths of the blends in both years, the two varieties went in opposite directions in 2002: on average there was less Zin (47%) and more Syrah (25%). This shift gave the wines more balance and tannic grip in 2002, and suggests they will benefit from decanting now or aging a few years.

Best of all, production in aggregate increased from 1300 cases to 1825. The debut vintage sold out quickly, and there’s no reason to expect a sophomore slump.

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Coro may be the biggest, most expensive Mendocino wine you’ve ever had that’s not made from Pinot Noir. The following notes include a 24-hour retasting to help you assess their forward evolution – which could be considerable. ~ TE

• Brutocao Cellars
  Red Table Wine, Mendocino "Coro Mendocino" 2002
  Zin and Syrah aromas are laced with barnyard and caramel; in your mouth it’s mellow, earthy, red fruit with some bright acidity that heats up in the finish. 24 hours later: cleaner, fruitier aromas, more sour cherries in the mouth. Drink now. (80 cases, $35)



• Dunnewood Vineyards
  Red Table Wine, Mendocino "Coro Mendocino" 2002
  Oak, raisins and spice accent the plum aromas and flavors and there’s chocolatey richness, but the alcohol’s hotter than the fruit is sweet. 24 hours later: much sweeter, almost blueberry, texture has grip and glide, and it all flows to the finish. Decant/drink or hold. (160 cases, $35)



• Eaglepoint Ranch Winery
  Red Table Wine, Mendocino "Coro Mendocino" 2002
  Dense, well oaked berry aromas are matched in the glass with sweet red, blue and blackberry flavors plus layers of chocolate and toast and a juicy finish. 24 hours later: the berries still lively, alcohol and tannins tamed, the finish lingering. Decant and drink now. (95 cases, $35)



• Fetzer Vineyards
  Red Table Wine, Mendocino "Coro Mendocino" 2002
  Plums with spice and chocolate; lusciously dark in your mouth at first, it dries out fast and finishes without sweetness. 24 hours later: the aromas include licorice, the body, tannin and mouthfeel are softening toward balance, but it’s still a load of oak. Best in 2-3 years. (500 cases, $35)



• Golden Vineyards
  Red Table Wine, Mendocino "Coro Mendocino" 2002
  Big doses of Syrah and Barbera drive acidity and vibrancy all through this smooth-textured wine and its warm, juicy finish. 24 hours later: smells jammier, tastes bramblier, the tannins soften nicely – and the acidity wins through again. Decant/drink or hold. (170 cases, $35)



• Graziano
  Red Table Wine, Mendocino "Coro Mendocino" 2002
  Offers rich red fruit aromas with wet earth underneath, then a good balance of fruit, acid and tannin in your mouth. 24 hours later: big changes – aromas go to black licorice, blackberries and black cherries, it’s port-like on the tongue, and dries toward the finish. Drink now. (207 cases, $35)



• McDowell Valley Vineyards
  Red Table Wine, Mendocino "Coro Mendocino" 2002
  Has more Zin than the others, to good effect – red plum aromas are laced with raisins, olives, and herbs, the fruit is juicy and spicy in your mouth, and the tannins are soft and splashy. 24 hours later: obvious oak is mellower, cooler. Decant/drink or hold a year. (145 cases, $35)



• Pacific Star Winery
  Red Table Wine, Mendocino "Coro Mendocino" 2002
  Aromas of plums, strawberry, rhubarb and dry earth are well-integrated into the flavors, textured with polished, palate-coating tannins that come early and stay late. 24 hours later: aromas gain complexity, fruit gets spicier, mouthfeel balances grip and glide. Drink or hold 2-3 years. (210 cases, $35)



• Parducci Wine Cellars
  Red Table Wine, Mendocino "Coro Mendocino" 2002
  Dark plummy aromas laced with strawberry flow right into the flavors and spread richly across the palate until an alcoholic rush toward the finish. 24 hours later: cherries join the plums, the body and texture balance out, and the alcohol integrates. Should improve with age. (258 cases, $35)

~ Thom Elkjer, Mendocino Editor


To comment on Thom Elkjer’s writings and thoughts, contact him at t.elkjer@appellationamerica.com