Winemaker Notes
Lively aromas of ripe boysenberries, black raspberries and baking spices is followed by exuberant fruit flavors in perfect harmony with bright acidity, silky tannin and a spice-laden finish. Utilizing Burgundian production techniques produce an elegant and restrained Zinfandel, while still capturing the intensity of the varietal.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Juicy plum, black cherry and a hint of cola highlight a soft, round core in this wine. Structured and well integrated in both tannin and oak, it offers a length of baking spice and tobacco, impressing in style and powerful elegance.
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Wine Spectator
Intense and quite ripe, with dried cherry, licorice and pepper flavors that finish with sinewy tannins.
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.
A vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.