Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This wonderful wine showcases the blender's art. The grapes come from 11 appellations throughout the valley, and the wine, while notable for its delicious flavors, also is great in structure. It has soft tannins and refreshing acidity, and is entirely dry, with moderate alcohol. Those flavors include raspberry jam, cherry-vanilla cream, cinnamon and white pepper. So easy to like.
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Wine & Spirits
Dark tones of iodine, sassafras and blackberries meld in this zin’s cool, spicy intensity. The texture is lean and supple, the flavors long. Decant it for grilled lamb chops.
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.