Critical Acclaim: Connoiseur's Guide | Obvious ripeness is no vice when it is met by as much intense, impressively concentrated fruit as is on display here, and, even if this big-bodied offering shows a bit of back-end heat, its alcohol is well-buffered by loads of juicy, oak-sweetened blackberries that are its abiding theme. Delicate it is not, and it is definitely a wine that needs tagging as one to pair with appropriately full-flavored foods, but it exhibits fine fruity depth and richness to spare, and it is the kind of Zinfandel that is sure to delight fans of expressive, mouthfilling versions that leave no doubt as to their varietal identity.
Tasting Notes: Inviting notes of raspberry, black cherry, and pine greet the nose. On the palate, juicy blueberry and black currant are rounded by freshly cracked pepper and dried herbs. This wine is big and bold in tannins but has a long, smooth finish.
AVA: Dry Creek Valley
Vineyard: Smith Orchard | 2400'
Year Planted: 1998
Composition: 95% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah
Oak Aging: 18 months in 38% new French oak
Production: 8 barrels
Cellaring: 0-7 years
95 Points | 2022 North Coast Challenge
92 Points | 2022 Los Angeles Invitational
91 Points | Connoiseur's Guide to California Wine - July 2022
Gold | 2021 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
