Winemaker Notes
Blend: 85% Rockpile Zinfandel, 7% Gary Branham's Vineyard Zinfandel, 8% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: For Zinfandel aficionados, the Rockpile AVA—in the northwest corner of the Dry Creek Valley and established on April 29, 2002—is almost always on the short list of one of California's best growing areas for this grape variety. The 2015 Hobo Wine Company Branham Vineyard is an outstanding example of why this is so true. TASTING NOTES: This wine is bright, brambly, and perfectly balanced on the palate. Its aromas and flavors of ripe raspberries should make it a lovely match with a roast tenderloin of pork accented with a fruit compote. (Tasted: September 25, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine & Spirits
Bristling with energy, this wine gains its edge from a cofermentation of fruit from old zinfandel vines and a little petite sirah harvested at the same time, which puts it on the early side of ripeness. Kenny Likitprakong fermented it with 30 percent whole clusters and without added yeasts, then aged it in French oak puncheons. That oak mellowed the wine toward supple fruitiness, with umami notes of forest mushrooms and tart cherries, but the emphasis is on rocks, sage brush and high-elevation chaparral. Best Buy.
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.
High elevation vineyards—800 to 2,100 feet—on well-drained soils of red and brown clay loam, gravel and large rock outcroppings produce low yields of intense, high-quality fruit. Surrounded by Northern Sonoma County and overlapping Dry Creek Valley in its northwest corner, the Rockpile AVA produces some of California most powerful Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon based wines.