Winemaker Notes
"Italian in style, this smells like a Barolo, then breaks out into a California dream that may make you heartsick for the Sonoma coastline. Like several of its siblings from De Loach, this cool zin has captured the Russian River Valley in a bottle. It's coastal scrub and moss, low-bush blueberry with tannins carved out of stone. The black spice, anise and dried fig complexities that come up with air give a Porty edge, but the wine remains completely frresh, lifiting all those flavors into a zesty, zinny, purely delicious finish. This is what California does best. Grab it if you can; enough people understand to make this kind of site-expressive zin hard to get, but evidently not enough to drive up the price."
-Wines & Spirits Top 100 Wines of 2003
Food Pairings: Pork Tenderloin with Raspberry Reduction Sauce, Tomato & Black Olive Risotto and Pizza with Pepperoni, Sausage and Mushrooms.
Professional Ratings
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.