Winemaker Notes
From its lovely dark violet color to its luscious fruit aromas, this wine captures the alluring essence of Sonoma County Zinfandel On the palate, layers of fresh raspberry, blackberry, and cranberry are underscored by an elegant structure that includes supple, refined tannins, balanced acidity and notes of French vanilla and toasty oak.
Blend: 83% Zinfandel, 17% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Duckhorn created its Decoy line in 2008 as a means of providing the high-quality wine for which it’s known at a more affordable price point. Made with Dry Creek Valley estate grapes, this Sonoma-based Zin offers soft, ripe red fruits (namely strawberry and raspberry) accented with spicy vanilla-cola notes. It’s a juicier-style Zinfandel that doesn’t beat you over the head with jammy richness and texture (perhaps the 17% Petite Sirah makes it seem a bit drier). Per usual, Duckhorn relies on a label depicting its signature fowl to fly above the competition.
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Wine Enthusiast
This well-made wine has cherry-berry fruitiness and a likably soft smooth texture, with a rounded approachability to its richness and moderate weight. Blended with 17% Petite Sirah, it has understated power and integrated oak, finishing in a swirl of vanilla.
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.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.