Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Jeff has been working with Zinfandel from this vineyard for more than two decades, and, while he and other vintners have produced many marvelous wines from the site, this ranks with the best in memory and is an altogether show-stopping version of enormous fruity richness and depth. True to its maker's style, it is a full-throttle offering that makes no bones about being ripe, but its ripeness never overrides its varietal purity, and incisive berry-like fruit stays in place to the end. It is structured to age famously and will, a decade from now, soundly refute any argument that wines of high ripeness should not be cellared for more than a few years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Zinfandel St. Peter's Church Vineyard opens with incredibly pure scents of white peaches with notes of garrigue, crushed boysenberries and lavender. Medium-bodied, it's wonderfully layered and lightly chewy with lip-smacking freshness and a long, layered finish. What a gorgeous zinfandel!
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Wine Enthusiast
Winemaker Cohn has made this wine since his days at Rosenblum Cellars, starting in 1996, and his deftness with the site shows here. Thick in blackberry jam, pepper, leather and bacon, it is thick and structured and leaves a trace of dust and black pepper as it finishes.
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Wine Spectator
Plump and briary, with multilayered raspberry, roasted sage and cracked pepper flavors that build richness toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2028.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Baked cherries, licorice, toasted spices, chocolate, and dried earth notes all emerge from the 2017 Zinfandel St. Peter’s Church Vineyard, and while it’s more savory and earthy on the nose, it has plenty of sweet fruit on the palate, solid mid-palate depth, and the tannic structure that’s common from Alexander Valley fruit. Give bottles another year or two to see if it develops more complexity, and it should evolve for 7-8 years or more. Rating: 90+
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.
Nearly a northern extension of Napa Valley, Alexander Valley starts just north of the small, Knights Valley, and is just a few minutes drive from the Napa town of Calistoga. It is Sonoma County’s hottest AVA. But the Russian River, which runs through the valley, creates cooler pockets and its soft, alluvial soil is ideal for grape growing, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, some believe that Alexander Valley Cabernets truly rival the best from Napa Valley and many of the heavy-hitter producers have largely invested here.
In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up over 50% of plantings, Merlot and old vine Zinfandel thrive here. Ample, fleshy Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate white wine production. Some old-vine plantings of Grenache have also been discovered and more recent experiments with Sangiovese and Barbera show great promise.