Winemaker Notes
The 2017 Hendry Block 7 and 22 Zinfandel is ruby in appearance. Sweet berries dominate the initial aromas. Jammy berry fruit integrated with floral, toast, maple and light spice/tea notes. Balanced palate coverage. Full, lively and delicious flavor. A balanced wine with almost infinite pairing potential.
Try with flavorful, intense hard cheeses like Asiago, Pecorino, and Manchego, grilled radicchio, grilled figs with bacon and blue cheese, warm goat cheese, pastas with meaty sauces, seared rare beef…
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
These two blocks of zinfandel, in the bench-lands at the base of Mount Veeder, were both planted to clone 2 the vines at Block 7 date to 1975 and to 1995 at Block 22. It’s interesting to taste this side-by-side with Block 28, comparing fruit from a mass selection of old vines with a clonal planting. Block 28 may be more complex in its tannins the wine from Blocks 7 & 22 may be more comforting and delicious, its complexity held in a floral scent, like pollen collected in a beehive. Or floral dark chocolate, a richness that smooths the tannins and their mineral spikes of power. Cellar both wines and you may find yourself grabbing one or the other, depending on your mood.
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.