Winemaker Notes
#21 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2024
Aromatically the wine lifts from the glass with notes of raspberry coulis, briar bushes, and a hint of fine tobacco. On the palate, the wine continued with notes of ripe raspberries, a touch of blood oranges, and a mouth-watering finish of acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Pouring an inky youthful ruby, the 2021 Zinfandel Papera Ranch is ripe with lavender, ripe boysenberry, fig, melding spices, and wet stone. Full-bodied and opulent, it opens to a flood of ripe baked berries, with sweet earth, supple texture, and cocoa filling the palate. With a superb, long finish, I sense it will develop at a glacial pace. Drink 2025-2040.
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Wine Spectator
Deeply structured yet agile and vibrant, with handsome flavors of black cherry and raspberry that take on accents of dried fig, orange peel and brown spices as this builds richness toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2035.
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 standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.