Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Storybook Mountain Vineyard has always made solid, well-structured Zinfandels of singular style, and, as has been once again shown here, the wines exhibit deep and defined varietal fruit while pulling back from the brink of late-harvest overripeness. There is no chocolate here, no intimations of sweetness, just insistent blackberry fruit graced by a touch of sweet oak and complexing accents of briar and minerals. The wine is full and firm on the palate, and, if already impressive, it is a long way from showing its best.
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Wine & Spirits
This grows at Jerry Sep's vineyard in the hills above Calistoga, where the morning sun ripens the fruit without turning it to raisins or jam. In 2008, the wine is bright, sappy and intense with plenty of youthful zest and powerful cherry drive. The tannins are meaty and chewy, with the sweetness to match venison stew and the savor to complement roast hedgehog mushrooms.
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Wine Enthusiast
A first rate Zinfandel, as rich as they come, brimming with intense mountain fruit flavors of blackberries, black currants and cola, with Zin’s black pepper and a savory taste of grilled Canadian bacon. Lush, smooth and tannic, it’s a beautiful wine to drink now with beef stew or even a coq au vin-style dish.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.