91 points - Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate
"This delicious, sexy style of Zinfandel offers loads of nuances, with plenty of black cherry and blackcurrant, underbrush, licorice and spice. It is peppery, rich and medium to full-bodied, but at the same time elegant and stylish.”
92 points - The International Wine Review
92 points - Zinfandel Chronicles
91 points - Purely Domestic Wine Report
90 points - Wine Enthusiast
This wine shows rich aromatics of juicy vine-ripened blackberries that merge with hints of fresh baking spices and subtle vanillin oak. Bright, youthful flavors of black raspberry and dark plum fill the palate from the smooth entry through the finish, with hints of dried strawberry, vanilla bean, and semisweet chocolate. With more bottle aging, the depth and complexity of the wine will develop further.
Our 17th Heritage Vines Zinfandel comes from the oldest part of our Alegría Vineyards, which was planted 125 years ago as a blend of Zinfandel inter-planted with more than 17 other grape varieties. We continue the 19th century practice of harvesting and co-fermenting the varieties together.
2013 was a very good year in the vineyard. Almost no rainfall in the early months led to early bud break. Careful vine management and benign weather allowed an early harvest. The grapes came in flavorful, with fine tannins and balanced acidity.
We fermented with a combination of native yeast and a Rhone yeast. Bill’s careful selection of oak barrels from diverse forests and coopers added notes of spice and tannin to the layered grape flavors.
Appellation | Russian River Valley Sonoma County |
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Varietal | 78% Zinfandel, 12% Alicante Bouschet, and 8% Petite Sirah. The remaining 2% includes Carignane, Trousseau, Sangiovese, Petit Bouschet, Negrette, Plavac Mali, Syrah, Tannat, Muscat Noir, Peloursin, Béclan, Cinsaut, and Grenache |
Pairing | Enjoy with grilled pork with a blackberry-sage sauce, or a caramelized onion, mushroom, and goat cheese quiche. |
Alcohol | 14.40% |
Bottle | 750ml |
Cases | 548 |
ph Level | 3.58 |
TA | 6.2g/L |