Reviews - Zinfandel

2005 Napa Valley Old Vine Zinfandel
90 POINTS
Bursts with aromas of chocolate espresso bean and ripe black cherry, with supple, rich flavors of cassis, cinnamon and toasty oak. Yet the tannins are slightly dusty, dry and minerally. Drink now through 2012.
- Wine Spectator, June 15, 2007

90 POINTS
From warm, dry vineyards in the eastern Vaca Mountains, this Zin, which is one quarter Petite Sirah, is ultra-rich and smooth in blackberry, cassis, raspberry and mocha flavors, with a complex dash of Provencal herbs. It's quite a good Zin, made in the style of a dry, balanced Cab or Merlot.
- Wine Enthusiast, October 2007

Five Stars
Exceptional Zin; fleshy, full bodied, finely balanced, and very long on the finish, tasting of plum, blackberry, cedar, and spicy oak. 24% PS.
- Restaurant Wine, Issue 121-122

89 POINTS - One Puff | Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, September 2007
Full-bodied and rich in character and oriented to ripeness without going over the line into corpulence, this wine is a touch dry in its aromas but rounded and nicely fruited in its concentrated flavors and low-tannin, lingering finish. It would be right at home along-side a barbecued pork loin roast basted liberally with a soy and honey marinade.

2003 Napa Valley Old Vine Zinfandel
90 POINTS - One Puff |
This nicely proportioned Zinfandel delivers lots of well-ripened fruit without wandering too close to the late-harvest edge, and its tantalizing themes of sweet berries are made more appealing yet by hints of briar, toast and sweet oak. It is fairly full-bodied and slightly rounded in feel with a good spark of fruity acidity lending it life, and while its present pleasures are plenty, it will grow for another few years.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, SEPTEMBER 2005

Clean and well-proportioned, with ripe, vibrant, zesty black cherry, blackberry and raspberry fruit shaded by earthy mineral and herbal sage notes. Firmly tannic and a bit hefty, best to decant now. Best from 2006 through 2010. 1,500 cases made.
- Wine Spectator, December 15, 2005.

2002 Napa Valley Zinfandel
92 POINTS
Achieves what so many Zin producers want - a balanced. dry wine with moderate alcohol. Yet the fruity flavors haven't been undermined. Dark stone fruits, black-berries, tobacco. Bitter chocolate, sweet herbs and wonderfully ripe, complex tannins.
EDITORS CHOICE - WINE ENTHUSIAST, NOVEMBER 15, 2004

One Puff |
This wine's blackberry and raspberry fruit tones stressing fruit as much as ripeness are filled out by a dollop of toasty oak and all but shield a slight note of earth in the background. The wine is very solidly put together on the palate, and it balances ripe fruit flavors with generous overlays of oak and briar. It will serve well with savory lamb or pork dishes in the near term and should grow smoother with a bit of age.
Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine, September, 2004

* * * * -- well-balanced, not aggressively tannic nor thick and sweet; nice.
Michael Lonsford, Houston Chronicle, September 16, 2004

2001 Napa Valley Zinfandel

RATED 91 POINTS, EDITOR'S CHOICE
"A firm but supple-textured wine, sporting layers of cassis, black cherry, toast, smoke, spice, herbs and plum flavors. This is a classy Zin, with silky tannins and a complex array of tastes that unfold with smooth elegance. Long and lush at the end."
- WINE ENTHUSIAST, NOVEMBER, 2003

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
"Medium-dark ruby; attractive, spicy, herbal, plummy, black raspberry fruit aroma; medium-full body; tight, tart, herbal, spicy, tarrish, raspberry fruit flavors; medium-full to full tannin."
- CALIFORNIA GRAPEVINE, OCT-NOV, 2003

RATED 92 POINTS, BEST 10 ZINFANDELS OF 2003
"Spicy and blunt as an old-vine carignane from the hills of Roussillon, this sophisticated zin grows in tow hillside vineyards, including Harris near the top of Mt. Vaca at 2,800 feet. Scents of green herbs and red spice ride a wave of black current fruit. Then it is shut down by the tannin, the round fruit and spicy aromatics remaining in the background, waiting to expand with air or age."
-WINE & SPIRITS MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2003

RATED 4 ½ STARS
"A fruity, full-bodied, and lightly oaked style of Zinfandel, which is richly flavored (blueberry, plum, toast, pepper) and long on the finish"
-RESTAURANT WINE, OCTOBER, 2003

2nd Place, 2003 American Red Wines
"Distinctive aromas of plum and strawberry jam. Plush mouth feel and loaded with ripe plum, blackberries, strawberries and strawberries with floral notes"
-ASPEN WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL, JUNE, 2003

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
"Medium-dark ruby; attractive, spicy, herbal, plummy, black raspberry fruit aroma; medium-full body; tight, tart, herbal, spicy, tarrish, raspberry fruit flavors; medium-full to full tannin."
- CALIFORNIA GRAPEVINE, OCT-NOV, 2003

Silver Medal, Los Angeles County Fair, 2003