Easton Amador County Zinfandel 2014
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Wilfred
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The 2014 has full black cherry and blackberry fruit aromas with a beautiful balance and a big, sumptuous, and juicy mouth feel. It also presents complex spicy aromas, with a nice creamy texture derived from the 10 months’ time it receives in, only, French oak barrels. This wine has become a popular, but serious cru Beaujolais-styled/Rioja crianza-styled Zinfandel that has found its way on to many great restaurant lists across North America where it is often listed “by the glass ”.
It is consistently rated one of the top Zinfandels in its class and one of the best value Zinfandels available. Although drinkable now, it gains complexity with bottle age. The 2014 vintage has great fruit, richness, balance, and charm. This wine is a great introduction to the EASTON line of five distinctly different Zinfandels:
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Wine Enthusiast
An interesting vein of tasty herb flavor runs through this full-bodied, plump and fruity wine. The aroma has hints of dill and sage, and these mingle with black cherry and blueberry on the palate. A sleek texture and long finish complete the picture.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Hmm, when I saw my longtime pal Bill Easton pouring at the ZAP trade tasting, I wanted to go there first. But, alas, I was roadblocked by all kinds of people. So what did I do? I saved the best for last, and I finally got a chance to say, "Hi," and taste his—and Jane's wines (his co-conspirator making balanced wines from the Sierra Foothills). The 2014 Easton Amador County Zinfandel is a solid table wine and quite well balanced. Showing flavors of ripe berries, sweet earth, and savory spices, this Zin should pair nicely with a properly made cassoulet. After tasting these wines, I was happy to catch up with my pal from the early days in the business. (Tasted: January 18, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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Easton puts his name on his non-Rhône varietals wines, those that have traditionally worked the best in Amador County and the Sierra Foothills: ancient and old-vine Zinfandel, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc. Under the Easton label he also bottles small selections of varietals new to the Sierra Foothills: Grenache Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc.
Easton makes wines that are unique and site-specific with a sense of place all of their own. He farms and runs his winery sustainably, even relying entirely on solar power for his tasting room and winemaking facilities.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.
As the lower part of the greater Sierra Foothills appellation, Amador is roughly a plateau whose vineyards grow at 1,200 to 2,000 feet in elevation. It is 100 miles east of both San Francisco and Napa Valley. Most of its wineries are in the oak-studded rolling hillsides of Shenandoah Valley or east in Fiddletown, where elevations are slightly higher.
The Sierra Foothills growing area was among the largest wine producers in the state during the gold rush of the late 1800s. The local wine industry enjoyed great success until just after the turn of the century when fortune-seekers moved elsewhere and its population diminished. With Prohibition, winemaking was totally abandoned, along with its vineyards. But some of these, especially Zinfandel, still remain and are the treasure chest of the Sierra Foothills as we know them.
Most Amador vines are planted in volcanic soils derived primarily from sandy clay loam and decomposed granite. Summer days are hot but nighttime temperatures typically drop 30 degrees and the humidity is low, making this an ideal environment for grape growing. Because there is adequate rain throughout the year and even snow in the winter, dry farming is possible.