Lot 88
2006 Amador County Ancient Vine Zinfandel

Cameron Hughes Wine receives multiple awards from the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition GOLD MEDAL 2006 Cameron Hughes Zinfandel Ancient Vines Lot 88 Amador County - Cameron Hughes Wine Great complex, spicy nose with a little raspberry and raisin flavors. Concentrated but balanced. Other Awards The Flying Winemaker Zinfandel, Silver Lot 93 Rioja Tempranillo, Bronze Lot 101 Chardonnay, Bronze Lot 110 Los Carneros Pinot Noir, Bronze

Love Cameron Hughes' wines? Just don't go looking for his winery By Mike Dunne, Special to The Bee Cameron Hughes owns neither vineyard nor winery, yet his eponymous brand is one of the more recognizable and respected in the wine trade. Hughes is a virtual vintner, or what in France traditionally has been called a negociant, a merchant who buys grapes or juice without actually owning a vineyard. The negociant then ferments, blends and bottles the final wine under his or her own free-floating label. "Most of our wines come from the bulk market, where we look for high-quality, high-impact wines that are not only technically correct but reflective of their origin," says Hughes, explaining that he is not fanatical about terroir. "We look for wines of character and excitement." He contracts for everything from bottling to warehousing, and he hires winemakers who work on commission. By doing without his own vineyards and brick- and-mortar winery, he figures he saves consumers 40 percent to 70 percent of what they would pay for the same wine if it were marketed under customary labels. Several big-name retail chains appreciate Hughes' pricing strategy and his taste in wine, and they eagerly stock releases bearing the boringly direct label of Cameron Hughes Wine. The retailers include Safeway/Vons, Albertsons, Cost Plus, Sam's Club, SaveMart and Costco. At the Dallas Morning News International Wine Competition in February, I tasted two Cameron Hughes wines with local pedigrees, the Cameron Hughes Lot 88 2006 Amador County Ancient Vines Zinfandel and the Flying Winemaker 2007 Lodi Ancient Vine Zinfandel. (Whereas "Cameron Hughes" wines may be available only by single lot, the new "Flying Winemaker" label is for wines that will be continually available from vintage to vintage.) At Dallas, both zinfandels won gold medals, and both spoke with authority of the historic zinfandel areas where they originated. But I preferred the expressive aromatics, fresh and juicy fruitiness, and zesty finish of the Amador zin to the ripe sweetness of the Lodi. The Amador is a smoothly polished, artfully elegant take on the sort of brash zinfandel the county has been producing for decades. It's dry and husky, with deep blackberry, cherry and plum fruit complemented by the sweetness of well-integrated oak. I liked its spicy highlights and appreciated that its tannins were comfortably restrained. Hughes is unusual for a negociant in that he is as eager to discover and promote underappreciated zinfandel as he is the popular cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay. His interest in zinfandel is motivated by his own long love for the varietal and by the fortunate coincidence of discovering that members of Costco in Northern California share his fondness for the wine. Because of confidentiality agreements with wineries that generally sell their wines for substantially more than Hughes asks, he can't reveal the specific sources of his wines. He does say that the Amador zinfandel is a blend of lots from two "very famous, very old vineyards" that are being replanted slowly as the older vines die. The vines have been head pruned since inception, and some "are well over 120 years of age," he adds. Cameron Hughes Lot 88 2006 Amador County Ancient Vines Zinfandel ($13) By the numbers: 14.7 percent alcohol, 1,600 cases Context: This is an unusually sleek and accessible Amador County zinfandel, more fitting for a thin-crust pizza than leg of lamb, but it's still forthright enough to go with lasagna and even the first ribs of the new grilling season. More information: sacwineregion.com or the Cameron Hughes Web site, www.chwine.com, through which his wines also are sold.

Three Cameron Hughes wines receive a 90 Point rating from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. These ratings and reviews will appear in the buying guide of the magazine in the October issue. 90 points/Best Buy: Lot 88 Ancient Vines Zinfandel 2006 (Amador County). It is one of the mysteries of the universe how negociant Cameron Hughes produces wines like this at such a great price. It is a Zinfandel lover’s Zinfandel, rich and peppery and briary. Really satisfies with wild forest red and black berry flavors tingled with tons of spice, and finishes dry and balanced. Best Buy. 90 points: Lot 100 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (Stags Leap District). Shows real Stags Leap character in the dusty tannins, dryness and power, yet appeals with lush cherries, currants, spices and cedar. It’s balanced and harmonious now, and should develop over the next six years. 90 points: Lot 121 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (Spring Mountain). Good price for a Cab from this small, prestigious appellation. The wine is bone dry and dense in mountain tannins, with rich flavors of black cherries, blackberries, currants and wild herbs, like rosemary. Shows real elegance and style. Now–2012. 88 points: Lot 103 Meritage 2006 (Napa Valley). This vintage was a good one for Cameron Hughes’Bordeaux-style wines, and this Cabernet-based blend, which contains a splash of Carmenere, is as good as anything they’ve released. It’s juicyrich in blackberries, currants, carob and cedar, wrapped into firm, fine tannins. 87 points: Lot 127 Chardonnay 2007 (Los Carneros). Awfully good for the price, with crisp, Carneros acidity and a creamy texture framing nice flavors of pineapples, peaches, green apples, cinnamon spice and minerals. 87 points: Lot 120 Atlas Peak Cabernet An eccentric, although likeable, Cab. It shows the dryness and tannic astringency that Atlas Peak Cabs are famous for, along with upfront, accessibly New World flavors of cherry jam, black currants and cedar. Hard to know if it’s an ager, but it’s a pretty good wine.

Cameron Hughes Lot 88 Ancient Vines Zinfandel I purchased this California Zinfandel for $13 at Western Beverages. It's rated at 90 points in Wine Enthusiast, a Best Buy. It also received a gold medal from the Dallas Morning News. Aroma - red fruit, pepper Taste - red fruit, pepper, soft tannins, cocoa This wine went great with our veggie burgers tonight - topped with spring mix, red onions, and tomatoes, with a mixed greens salad of feta cheese, raspberries, and balsamic vinaigrette. Dessert was a few Hershey's Kisses - the wine was so smooth with the milk chocolate!