Ravenswood Teldeschi Vineyard Zinfandel 2008

"As a group, the Ravenwood's 2008 single-vineyard Zinfandels rank among winemaker Joel Peterson's best efforts yet, and, if picking a favorite is not easy, the deep and delicious Teldeschi bottling stands out as our pick of the bunch. Keenly focused on optimally ripe berries and showing the stunning concentration of classic old-vine Zinfandel, it is wonderfully well-balanced for the big wine that it is, and its layered flavors last and last. It will no doubt tempt drinking early, but it has a decade or more of improvement ahead, and it should be cellared away for at least four or five years."

96 Points

Connoisseurs' Guide

"Glass-staining purple. Powerful scents of boysenberry, cherry liqueur, licorice and dark chocolate. Chewy dark berry compote and bitter cherry flavors are underscored by strong mineral, smoke and licorice qualities. Sweet and gently tannic on the finish but not at all hard. I'd check back on this in another year."

91 Points

International Wine Cellar

"There's nothing subtle about this Zin. It's rich and ripe in fruit and spices, flooding the mouth with wild, briary blackberry and mulberry flavors. Drink this exuberant young wine with spicy meats. The world's greatest hamburger or cheeseburger would not be out of place."

90 Points

Wine Enthusiast

"An old-fashioned zin with the complexity of mixed blacks (the original blocks were planted from 1913 to 1917), this measures its blackberry fruit against earthy notes of tannin. It's ripe, but not all pruney or porty, just balanced with the peppery sweetness of zin. Decant it for grilled lamb."

90 Points

Wine & Spirits