Winemaker Notes
Zinfandel and the Alicante Bouschet are co-fermented to ensure plenty of color and structure. Post malolactic fermentation, blending trials are performed and to decide the exact percentage of Alicante to improve texture. Aged in approximately 20% new French oak. Unfined and unfiltered.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch comes from the oldest blocks of the ranch, planted in the 1890s in the Sonoma Valley. It pours a bright ruby/magenta color, and the nose is stunning, with beautiful fresh highlights, red and black fruit, and floral perfume shining through, revealing kirsch, hints of fresh blueberries, purple flowers, delicate baking spices, and sweet earth. The tremendous structure emblematic of the vintage is found in this wine, with a tension-driven feel and more nervousness, but it’s fully ripe and will only improve with another year or more in the bottle. Drink 2026-2040.
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Vinous
The 2023 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch is tightly wound and compact. Kirsch, blood orange, hard candy, cinnamon and dried flowers are some of the notes that open in the glass. I find the Pagani a bit light texturally relative to the norm for this site, which is surprising given its relatively low acid. Something about the wine's balance is not ideal.
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.
Perhaps the most historically significant appellation in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Valley is home to both Buena Vista winery, California's oldest commercial winery, and Gundlach Bundschu winery, California's oldest family-run winery.
It is also one of the more geologically and climactically diverse districts. The valley includes and overlaps four distinct Sonoma County sub-appellations, including Carneros, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Valley. With mountains, benchlands, plains, abundant sunshine and the cooling effects of the nearby Pacific, this appellation can successfully produce a wide range of grape varieties. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, and most notably, Zinfandel all thrive here. Ancient Zinfandel vines over 100 years old produce small crops of concentrated, spicy fruit, which in turn make some of the Valley's most unique wines. These can also be made as “field blends” (wines made from a mix of grape varieties grown in the same vineyard) along with Petite Sirah, Carignan and Alicante Bouschet.