Description

There is no grape as markedly American as Zinfandel. And no place like Dry Creek Valley, with its potent heat by day and Pacific-cooled breeze by night, to bring forth that larger-than-life berry fruit character in every bottle.

Bottle Size: 750 ml

Appellation: Sonoma County

Sub-Appellation: Dry Creek Valley

Grape Varieties: Zinfandel; Carignane

Alcohol Percentage: 14.90%

Fermentation: Different blocks were fermented separately to preserve ideal characteristics of each. Each block spends an average of 12 days on the skins.

Aging: The separate blocks were blended post malolactic fermentation and aged for 16 months in 20% new oak barrels.

Nose

First impression: Full on olfactory seduction and sweet niceness. There are black fruits (blackcurrant cassis), raisins, cloves, liquorice and the kind of vanilla that you get with Bourbon (new American Oak?).

Also some baked sweet deliciousness – perhaps Battenberg cake – plus candied almonds. It’s not hugely aromatic, per se but goddamn, it smells amazing! The nose knows.

And, as with many such wines, there is also a heady alcoholic kick. Aeration takes some of the sharp booziness off of the nose. Rum steeped raisins become soft vanilla…

Palate

First impression: Smooth as glass and with heroic fruitiness. There are ripe plums and wonderfully gentle tannins that are like the entire angelic hierarchy doing a dance on your tongue.

After you acclimatise the predominant taste is a spicy clamour of cloves, red fruit  vanilla, blackstrap molasses and blackcurrants – imagine Ribena but with alcohol and a much more subtle, rounded taste. It is wonderful. At 15% ABV you wouldn’t know it.

It is so easy drinking that it should perhaps come with a disclaimer. 

Finish

Medium to short – the smoothness does not linger too long. The raisins, redfruit and a small bit of vanilla stick around on your tongue, but not nearly for as long as you might like (which is, I suppose, where this wine falls down a little).

What you’re left with is a slight creaminess from the oak – and when you exhale from your nose, some vanilla and fruit. And your life affirming memories. Better have another glass.