Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From Sonoma Valley, the 2015 Zinfandel Iron Hill is another ruby/purple-colored effort from Cohn that has plenty of character. Savory earth, iron, dried herbs, and ample blackberry and black cherry fruit give way to a spicy, medium-bodied, savory, balanced Zinfandel that picks up more and more fruit with time in the glass. I love its balance and it's going to cruise for a decade or more in the cellar.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Zinfandel Iron Hill Vineyard reveals notes of baked plums, spice cake, sandalwood and rose hip tea with an undercurrent of mincemeat pie, dried herbs and star anise. Full-bodied and generously fruited in the mouth, the rich dried berry layers are well-framed by a lively backbone and chewy texture, finishing long and spicy.
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Wine Spectator
Dark and rather brooding, but showing a complex core, offering notes of zesty dried fruit, pepper and dark Asian spices, finishing with refined tannins. Drink now through 2024.
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.