"Voted #1" - The Bay Area A-List
Gold Medal - Savor (North of the Gate) - April 2016
Gold Medal - San Diego Wine & Spirits Challenge - May 2016
Gold Medal - Orange County Fair - June 2016
Gold Medal - International Women's Wine Competition - June 2016
Frank Family sources from all over Napa Valley for the grapes for their Zinfandel, and this allows them to make a consistently outstanding bottle of wine each and every year. This family run winery is one of the stars of Napa Valley, yet maintains pricing that makes it a reasonable bottle to open for any occasion. In the tradition of the great field blend of California, from the likes of Ridge and others, they blend a little bit of Petit Sirah into the blend, which gives the wine extra weight and texture.
Zinfandel is often called “California’s Grape,” and despite the fact that it has been genetically traced to Croatia, it certainly seems to show best all over the Golden State. Today’s offering comes from Frank Family Vineyards in Napa Valley, a region certainly more well known for its Cabernet. Napa’s climate is also wonderful for growing Zinfandel. Warm sunny days lead to well ripened Zinfandel grapes that tend to show more of Zin’s jammy side.
The 2013 Fran Family Napa Valley Zinfandel is a deep scarlet hue. On the nose, the wine has a savory quality of pepper, leather, brambly fruit and dried orange rind. This vibrant, medium-bodied Zinfandel has a silky and enveloping mouthfeel, offering abundant notes of red raspberries and dark berries, and a long, layered finish.
Vintage: 2013
Wine Type: Red Wine
Varietal: Zinfandel
Varietal Composition: 84% Zinfandel, 14% Petite Sirah, 2% Cabernet
Appellation: Napa Valley
Harvest Date: September 19th to October 9th, 2013
Acid: 3.74
Aging: 16 months in 33% new French oak barrels, and 66% once and twice-filled French oak barrels
Bottling Date: March 2014
Acid: 0.552 g/100ml TA
Alcohol %: 14.6
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.
90 Points
Rich and voluptuous with ripe raspberry, cherry, and plum, layered with hints of lavender, fig compote, and exotic spice. Concentrated and complex, the palate is a balanced interplay cocoa, and a hint of espresso, creating both richness and intrigue. Vibrant acidity and silky tannins that contribute heft and length that coat the palate with luscious ripeness that keeps on giving.
Gold Medal
Generously packed with black cherry, cola, cassis, and plum that all intermingle together in a creamy, velvety texture with great layering, finishing with delightful notes of oak and spice. Persistent, well-defined structure, wonderfully balanced.
Gold Medal
Light pink in color with aromas of watermelon, cranberry, orange rind, and fresh spring flowers that leap from the glass. The palate offers more peach, strawberry, and melon, with an intriguing note of rose and hibiscus. It's crisp with just the perfect hint of red fruit, and delicate whisper of strawberry that gives goosebumps.
95 Points
Lofty aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, and plum mingle with hints of baking spices and a touch of violet. The palate reveals luscious flavors of ripe berries, complemented by notes of black pepper and a subtle earthiness. With well-integrated tannins and a long lingering finish.
94 Points
Deep red-purple with aromas of black currents, blackberry, plum, chocolate, earthy forest floor, licorice, graphite, and subtle floral notes of violet, spice and cracked pepper. The palate is full, structured and balanced with blackberry, currant, black cherry fruit with notes of earth, firm acid and silky tannins. Finishes big with blackberry fruit and peppery spice.
