Winemaker Notes
Beran Napa Zinfandel is the big brother to Beran California Zinfandel, showing the same rich ripe fruit characters with slightly more complexity and structure. The wine is bright, vibrant purple with a deep black core. Aromas of black cherry, sweet pipe tobacco and dark chocolate are enhanced by hints of black pepper spice and cedar. These flavors are carried through on the palate with richness and weight. This wine has great persistence and a slight dustiness on the finish from the fine-grained tannins.
Beran Napa Zinfandel is a great food wine that pairs perfectly with a big steak, roast lamb, pork short-ribs, pate or stinky cheese.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.