Tasting Notes with Liz Harrison, General Manager of Little Dom’s Seafood

Santa Barbarans know late summer well. As the dusty heat ripens the last of the summer fruits, we savor each gushing peach and musky melon. The tangy ripeness of Broc Cellars White Zinfandel (75 percent Zinfandel, 25 percent Trousseau Gris) is a shout-out to the bright sun on your hot patio. The Zinfandel grapes are grown at the tip top of a hill in full sun. They’re picked early, stomped by foot and aged in-skins in stainless steel. The Trousseau Gris is fermented for six months in sandstone jars, basket pressed, then aged for an additional four months in sandstone jars. The unique process creates a truly special blend that knows summer in every cell. The color of the wine gives away the aroma: peachy red and dusty rose. The fruit palate is slightly underripe with notes of melon. The finish is deliciously tangy.

Berkeley-based Broc Cellars sources fruit from all over Northern California. In this blend, the Zinfandel grows at Arrowhead Mountain Vineyard in Sonoma County and the Trousseau Gris grows on the Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. Broc Cellars uses spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts and bacteria that live on the grapes that are inherent to winemaking.

For a neat and tidy pairing try Little Dom’s Seafood smoked salmon with burrata, seeded flatbread and crispy capers. For a contrast, try it with our meatball burger with pickled green tomato and fried potatoes; the acidity in the wine will remind you that it is always about the pickles. The bramble-y earthiness of the wine is exposed by the wood-oven roasted carrots with fennel pollen yogurt and dukkah.

For a super easy, no fuss pairing at home, try this dry White Zinfandel with prosciutto, melon, and extra virgin California olive oil. The juicy fruit and pleasant pepper notes beg for spicy food. Bold flavors of homemade carne asada tacos or shrimp fajitas are a perfect complement with the rose-y blend and the setting sun. Rosé loves the heat and spicy Szechuan noodles (see the Dan Dan Mian recipe in the September/October issue of Cook’s Illustrated) or pad Thai will have you falling for this modern rosé.