Winemaker Notes
The 2016 OV Zin is perhaps Enkidu's finest effort to date; representative of the overall excellent quality of this vintage. The aromas are warm and compelling and translate to the flavors. It’s well-balanced mouth filling tannins carry the briary fruit tinged with black cherry to a very long finish. The complexity grows with added hints of bittersweet chocolate, forest floor and black pepper spice. Age this wine for another five+ years and be rewarded with harmony and greater complexity.
Blend: 75% Zinfandel, 15% Carignane, 6% Alicante Bouschet, 4% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
This thick rich wine benefits from the additions of 15% Carignane, 6% Alicante Bouschet and 4% Petite Sirah, the entirety given a year in neutral oak. Peppery and velvety smooth, it’s intense and complex, with strong flavors of black cherry and licorice.
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.
Perhaps the most historically significant appellation in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Valley is home to both Buena Vista winery, California's oldest commercial winery, and Gundlach Bundschu winery, California's oldest family-run winery.
It is also one of the more geologically and climactically diverse districts. The valley includes and overlaps four distinct Sonoma County sub-appellations, including Carneros, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Valley. With mountains, benchlands, plains, abundant sunshine and the cooling effects of the nearby Pacific, this appellation can successfully produce a wide range of grape varieties. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, and most notably, Zinfandel all thrive here. Ancient Zinfandel vines over 100 years old produce small crops of concentrated, spicy fruit, which in turn make some of the Valley's most unique wines. These can also be made as “field blends” (wines made from a mix of grape varieties grown in the same vineyard) along with Petite Sirah, Carignan and Alicante Bouschet.