Jeff Cohn Cellars St. Peter's Church Vineyard Zinfandel 2016
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Jeb
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Robert
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Connoisseurs'
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Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2016 Zinfandel St. Peter's Church Vineyard and it has a perfumed, classy bouquet of red plums, incense, flowers, and sandalwood. It's medium to full-bodied has good acidity, beautiful purity, no hard edges, and remarkable purity of fruit. This beauty is balanced, seamless, and just a beautiful, elegant, complete wine. As with most of Jeff’s Zinfandels, it saw 20% of whole clusters in the ferments and 18 months in 20% new French oak.
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Wine Spectator
Potent but polished, with distinctive blackberry, licorice, espresso and smoked pepper flavors that take on richness toward well-groomed tannins. Drink now through 2026.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep ruby, the 2016 Zinfandel St. Peter's Church Vineyard is a touch reticent to begin, with notes of tar, damp earth and autumn leaves. With time it offers aromas of cinnamon toast, black and red berry preserves, charcuterie and stone fruit touches. Medium to full-bodied, the palate unleashes a color wheel of fruits framed with finely grained tannins and great freshness, finishing very long. This has great potential to blossom in bottle and will reward cellaring.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a favored site amongst Zin aficionados and for good reason. Earthy forest, tobacco and compost reside within a powerful frame of concentrated richness and complexity. Black pepper, licorice and black cherry come along, buoyant in sparkling acidity that refreshes and intrigues.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
From a vineyard with a reputation for dense, ripe, occasionally over-the-top wines, Mr. Cohn has brought a modest measure of temperament to the beast without losing the concentration that remains the vineyard's hallmark. Ripe, deep and dark, yet nicely fruited as well, this one is, without question, a big wine that is very much in step with its siblings. Indeed, it may even be a tad less demanding of age than a few, and, if a half-decade in the cellar would not be too much, it is going to come drinkable earlier on.
Other Vintages
2017-
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All JC Cellars wines are fermented in open top fermenting vessels that range in size from a half ton to eight tons, where each bin is hand punched down five times per day. This time-consuming procedure allows maximum exposure of skins to juice, intensifying the flavor of the fruit while handling it as gently as possible.
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.
Nearly a northern extension of Napa Valley, Alexander Valley starts just north of the small, Knights Valley, and is just a few minutes drive from the Napa town of Calistoga. It is Sonoma County’s hottest AVA. But the Russian River, which runs through the valley, creates cooler pockets and its soft, alluvial soil is ideal for grape growing, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, some believe that Alexander Valley Cabernets truly rival the best from Napa Valley and many of the heavy-hitter producers have largely invested here.
In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up over 50% of plantings, Merlot and old vine Zinfandel thrive here. Ample, fleshy Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate white wine production. Some old-vine plantings of Grenache have also been discovered and more recent experiments with Sangiovese and Barbera show great promise.