Winemaker Notes
Blend: 90% Zinfandel and 10% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
As chewy as umami, salty delicious as a mouthful of crunchy bacon. Throw in dried blackberries and blueberries, with a touch of smoky new oak, and that describes this fantastically pure, addictively good Zinfandel. The grape sourcing is from old vineyards in the Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys. Truly a great Zin, and relatively easy to find.
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Wine Spectator
Ripe but well-structured, with wild berry and licorice aromas and rich, layered flavors of plum and smoked pepper that are balanced with a great backbone of acidity and tannins. Drink now through 2017.
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.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.