Alexander Valley Vineyards Sin Zin Zinfandel 2009

In 1978 Hank Wetzel produced the very first vintage of Sin Zin. The wine was an immediate hit with spicy, jammy, elegant fruit flavors and an unforgettable label. Thirty two years later, Sin Zin is one of the most recognizable wines in the country. From the beginning Sin Zin has been a more elegant style of Zinfandel due to both the region and winemaking style. We harvest the grapes from throughout the Alexander Valley - including the valley floor, hillsides and benchlands to get a wide range of complex red fruit flavors in the glass. Since 1999 winemaker Kevin Hall has carried on the tradition looking for a balance of ripeness and acidity in each lot to showcase the elegance of the region. This balance explains Sin Zin's restaurant popularity; it is always a food friendly style of Zinfandel.

2009 was a cooler vintage with fewer heat spikes than in the past few years, allowing for uniform ripening in the Alexander Valley which led to wines with good structure, balance and complexity. Overall, the vintage is more elegant than in many recent years. Kevin blended in a small amount of Petite Sirah to broaden the mouthfeel on the wine and add a little more dark fruit to the palate.

There are aromas of raspberry, plum, black cherry, and a touch of citrus. Flavors of plum, black cherry, black pepper, spice and pomegranate fill the glass. Sin Zin has been a true American original for three decades, the 2009 continues the legacy.