Winemaker Notes
Nice dark-red in color, this wine offers aromas of blueberry-blackberry fruit and spicy-chocolatey oak. On the palate, nicely focused acidity enhances mineral flavors, with elegantly structured tannins and a super plush long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Perfumed in bramble, this is a thick, viscous and fruity wine, brimming in dark cherry and berry with sanguine and savory elements. A sizable 13% Petite Sirah is blended in, providing additional body richness and power that finishes plush and lush.
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Wine Spectator
Structured and lively, showing tension, offering expressive black cherry, red jalapeño and stony mineral accents that deepen toward broad-shouldered tannins. Best from 2020 through 2026.
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.
High elevation vineyards—800 to 2,100 feet—on well-drained soils of red and brown clay loam, gravel and large rock outcroppings produce low yields of intense, high-quality fruit. Surrounded by Northern Sonoma County and overlapping Dry Creek Valley in its northwest corner, the Rockpile AVA produces some of California most powerful Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon based wines.