Wine Wanderers #5

Farneta 2006 Primitivo (Sonoma-Carneros)

The Legend of the Primitivo

The road to into Amador County slinks through a large, open, golden field, sporadically studded with lonely, deep emerald clusters of oak trees. It’s empty. Our wheels are digging up the asphalt, following the stream of the road, coursing along beneath us to the soft, reverberating, percussive twang of Johnny Cash’s guitar. His golden whiskey voice is rich, soft and lingering; heart all filled with rusty nails and beer bottles.

The next turn, and the sun sinks into the horizon, breaking open like the yolk of an egg, spreading orange and red over a big sky, and the distant, resonating voice of Patsy Cline moves through the air like a ghost, the song a sweetly mournful ballad telling a cold tale of yet another unrequited love. These are voices of legends singing of legends drifting through the air.

We're entering Amador County, life and belongings in tow, and we're listening to and thinking about legends - and not legends that the cowboy crooners relate in song and poem. We're remembering a bottle of wine from about five counties away (one that is not unlike the one we're entering now) that we decanted in early August. We think about another legendary varietal that wandered into that county like a dusty wrangler into an old saloon, and took root, like a prospector on a stool of an old whiskey bar.

Nobody really knows how the Primitivo varietal entered Sonoma. We do know, however, it's not that old, actually, and that it was introduced into the US in the 1960s (some assert it to be around 1968 to be precise). Its origins are still a matter of speculation, for the most part. It’s related to the Zinfandel varietal, and, like it’s estranged sibling, has its roots in Croatia. Primitivo entered the Apulia region of Italy (a region in the country’s “heel) around 1700. During the latter part of the 20th Century, studies were undertaken to understand Primitivo and its genealogy. Initially, it was assumed that it and the Zinfandel were descendants of the Plavac Mali Varietal, and that a divergence occurred after many decades. Others argued (like Croatian-born Mike Grgich of Rutherford’s Grgich Hills wines), that Primitivo was a descendant of Zinfandel. Finally, after travelling throughout Europe and undoubtedly quaffing several glasses of Zin and Primitivo, a team of experts decided that the two varietals were a kind of parent to Plavac Mali, giving the ancestry of the Primitivo, perhaps, even more mystery, if not legend.

Our memory of the Carneros-harvested 2006 Farneta Primitivo lingered in our heads like an old song. The rich aromas of raspberries, plums and cherries were prevalent in its taste as well, and the pepper and blackberry qualities made our tongues quiver like the lick of a steel guitar in a Hank Williams song. The 2006 Farneta is actually a blend of Primitivo (77%) and Zinfandel (23%), making it a perfect family reunion. In this Farneta blend, the slightly more tart, brambly Primitivo blended well with the sweeter, fruitier Zinfandel.

So, like the song says, "There's a Wide Open Road" ahead for the Primitivo here in California, whose flavors precede its reputation, and definitely its legend. Amador wineries such as Sobon and Charles Spinetta specialize in this varietal in their wines and blends. We certainly hope to hear about it fondly, over and over again, like an old tale told 'round a cowboy campfire. Better yet: we hope to drink more of it.

The 2006 Farneta Primitivo retails at about $35.00 per bottle. Legend has it that it pairs well with a pot of chili, or a juicy, Texas-sized steak.