Winemaker Notes
Excellent with goat cheese, Asian style seafood and pork.
Blend: 90% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Zinfandel Reserve is a beautiful Zinfandel that does everything right. Plum sauce, cedary spice, and dried orange peel aromas, medium to full body, silky tannin, and an incredible elegance all define this deep purple-colored beauty. While it's hard to resist today, it's going to cruise for a decade or more given its balance and harmony.
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Tasting Panel
Lush and dense with ripe blackberry and boysenberry. Rich, long, and spicy, it aged for 20 months in 60% new French oak.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Zinfandel Reserve Dry Creek Valley has a nose of baked berries, spice and raisin cake with notes of dried flowers and dusty soil. The palate is full-bodied, big and rich with chewy tannins, tart fruit and a long finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Brimming with a sweetness of baked cherry and molasses, this is a soft, rounded and robustly ripe wine that carries its weight well. A touch of structured, high-toned acidity complements the power and outer reaches of excess, allowing the experience on the palate to speak.
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.
A multifaceted and highly reputable sub-region of Sonoma, Dry Creek Valley is responsible for a wide range of wine styles—both red and white. One of the smallest AVAs in California, Dry Creek Valley has a winning combination of ideal geography and climate. Fertile, well-drained soils create concentrated varietal character while long, warm days, bookended by cool nights, allow grapes to reach full phenolic ripeness and balance. The warm and welcoming appellation is home to a number of family-owned vineyards and wineries that place a strong emphasis on sustainable farming practices.
Zinfandel reigns supreme here and still produces in a great number of very old vineyards—often 100 years old or older. These old vines create a powerful, voluptuous and sultry wine unlike those of any other region. Sauvignon Blanc, the valley’s signature white grape, also performs exceptionally well. Many other varieties grow comfortably here, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Syrah. Petite Sirah is often found in blends with Zinfandel.