While I enjoyed Mr Steingarten's article -- and yes Bandols have been overpriced for years thanks to Kermie and crew --the grape has always been appreciated here in California.

Truth be told, the great "Old Vine" zins that command stellar prices today were, in fact, never "zin" vineyards at all but pure field blends.

Take a careful tour of old head-pruned vineyards in Sonoma and the Sierra foothills -- or Lodi for that matter -- and you'll find vineyards where Zin exists at 50 or 60 percent -- the rest is mataro and petite sirah and carignan and alicante bouschet.

For a while I believe even the redoubtable Mr Draper was labeling his Geyserville as red table wine, since no one could determine the exact proportion of zin in the vineyard compared to other varietals.

Aye Mataro is a lovely, earthy, funky grape -- greatly beloved by those of us old enough to remember a time when great Italian wineries like Simi made a host of gutsy reds.

Surely you remember -- back in the days before the Wine Spectator and Parker.

Back in the days when Ridge was founded and run by wild-eyed visionaries from Stanford.

m