Frog's Leap Zinfandel (1.5 Liter Magnum) 2007

The wide range of aromas and flavors in our 2007 Zinfandel can again be attributed to its "field blend" origin. Grown and sometimes co-fermented together the three varietals of this wine—Zinfandel, Petite sirah and Carignane—each play critical roles in defining the wine's character. The Zin tastes of wild berries and briary fruit marked with a touch of spice, while the ‘Pets' adds dark color and a weighty mid-palate leaving the carignane to account for the bright acidity and slight earthiness. Dry farmed and organically grown, the wine never feels over-blown yet it is full of juicy flavors of cherry and boysenberry underlined with layers of earth and spice. Plus, with an alcohol under 14%, it makes a wonderful companion to your next backyard barbeque.

Yes, we have noticed that the monster Zins of the '70s are still in fashion. And yes, just like fashion they command monster prices based on their "big" alcohol, "big" flavors, and "big" bottles. But Frog's Leap Zin is different: you can't use this stuff to light your charcoal grill.

Maybe it's that we found our early inspiration for Zinfandel from a different source — instead of reinventing Zinfandel, we looked to the past and the incredible Zins of the '40s and '50s. Those wines taught us the lessons that the old-timers knew: that field blends of Petite Sirah, Carignane, and Napa Gamay all picked at ripeness (not as raisins) added color, aromatics, and earthy complexity. In other words, the help of other varietals was needed to reveal the Zinfandel grape's true flavors. These principles form the foundation for our wine today.