Paul Dolan, Mendocino Coast (Mendocino County, California) Zinfandel 2009

 If you don’t think Zinfandel can have charm, you probably haven’t tried Paul Dolan’s Mendocino Coast offering.  This wine is admirably sinewy, lushly flavored, and spicy rather than  sweet; it’s long on the palate and a congenial match for a wide selection of foods.  I’m not sure whether this Zin’s particular elegance is due to the cool growing conditions typical of the coast, the organic grapes its made from, a specific winemaking philosophy or all of the above, but whatever the explanation the result is pleasurable indeed.