94 Points - Decanter World Wine Awards
92 Points - The Tasting Panel
90 Points - JamesSuckling.com
In a line-up of top Napa Zinfandel, it always shines.
Pairs beautifully with a wide array of dishes like sausage pizza, grilled shish-kabobs, roasted rack of lamb and more.
Vintage: Napa Valley experienced an aboveaverage rainfall in the early months of 2019 with over 50 inches of rain in Rutherford. The residual moisture and colder than average soils led to a delayed start in budbreak. Spring and summer enjoyed moderate temperatures with no significant heat spikes until August. The harvest began in early September and finished the first week of November.
Vineyard: Their 34-acre vineyard above Calistoga is the warmest of the five vineyards and the sole source of our Zinfandel. Its northeast exposure catches abundant morning sun but is shaded from the hot, late afternoon sun and combined with the vineyard’s gravelly loam soils, creates the perfect spot to grow this varietal. They farm all of their vineyards naturally, without artificial pesticides or herbicides, and certified organic.
Winemaker's Notes:
Alcohol: 14.7%
Fermentation: indigenous yeast
Harvest date: October 7-15, 2019
Sugar: 24.5% degrees Brix at Harvest
Bottling date: April 2021
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2022
Total acid: 5.3 g/L
pH: 3.97
Time in oak: 18 months
Type of oak: French oak
Blend: 98% Zinfandel, 2% Petite Sirah
94 Points
Opens up with an aromatic burst of black cherry jam, wild huckleberry, and a hint of crushed espresso bean. On the palate, the fruit is lush and primary, but it's the secondary notes—toasted nutmeg, dark chocolate truffle, and the signature 'Dry Creek Dust'—that provide a long, savory finish.
95 Points
Aromas of wild berries, black fig and ripe dark fruits are intertwined with hints of fresh mountain herbs, mineral, leather, savory spices, and cigar box. On the palate, the rich fruit flavors of dark cherry, ripe plum, blackberry, red currants and cassis are layered with notes of wild sage, dark chocolate truffle, cinnamon, clove, and a kiss of oak.
96 Points
Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, huckleberry, floral violet and savory spice. The palate is full and layered, with robust, age-worthy tannins and gorgeous flavors of dark berries, mocha and chocolate-covered cherries mingling with hints of graphite, fig and fine leather. Smooth tannins, firm structure and silky texture coat the palate on route to a long, generous finish.
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