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92 points | Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Gold Medal | Sunset International Wine Competition

Tasting Notes

Full-bodied and rich, this is a classic Zinfandel offering up deep, abundant aromas of dark, wild berries and warm spicy notes of cinnamon and clove. Compelling flavors of blueberry pie, wild blackberry preserves and vanilla bean linger on the palate. This lush wine finishes with a velvety mouthfeel.

Vintage Notes

Harvest in 2016 started in the middle of August during a pattern of warm sunny days cooled by foggy mornings and breezy afternoons for most of the area. The early months of the year were very mild with little rain allowing the vines to progress steadily and uneventfully. Yields throughout the region were slightly below average but moderate weather starting in early summer gave the fruit plenty of time to develop great color and flavor, resulting in beautifully balanced wines.

Vineyard Notes

Winemaker Katie Madigan sourced Zinfandel from three different vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, a region renowned for producing intense, concentrated Zinfandel. The wine is blended with Dry Creek Petite Sirah for additional structure and complexity.

Winemaker Notes

This wine showcases the best of Dry Creek Valley, from valley floor to hilltop vineyards. The well-drained soils and fog patterns from the Pacific Ocean create perfect growing conditions for Zinfandel, resulting in smaller crops with highly concentrated, intense fruit. The grapes undergo a cold soak before fermentation to extract optimal color and aroma. After primary fermentation, the wine is pumped into French oak barrels, where it undergoes natural malolactic fermentation, followed by 16 months of aging in French oak barrels, 45% new.