Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel

This was terrific. 16 years in. Softening. Still holding onto those leathery notes. Good stuff.

My first wine from this Zin specialist. It’s one of their basic cuvées. This ‘16 is drinking very well right now, but I wouldn’t wait any longer. Nose is open and ripe. Definite Zin signature: blackberry, spice, note of maple syrup, teensy bit of gravel. Mouthfilling and fruity, spreading out expansively in the mouth. But it’s nicely restrained, without jamminess or heat. A bit of soft tannin. Not simple, but not complex either. Nicely composed.

UPDATE (night 2): I’m upping from a 9.1 to a 9.2 because rather than degrading over the course of 24 hours, the flavors have stayed fresh but a little structure has popped up to frame the flavors and tighten up the texture a little, and the wine is the better for it. And that also signals that this should keep nicely another 2-3 years.

Bold, jam-less, and elegant.. not classic to modern Zin, however more like older styles of dry creek. Called 100% Red Mt. Cab, but there was probably more red fruit than black there.

Deep ruby coloration. On the nose, cherry, blackberry and sweet tobacco. On the palate, currant, oak and a very long finish of blackberry. Medium to strong tannins and a medium bodied wine lacking a lush mouthfeel. Another excellent zin from Bella.

Really like this wine. It was light but had a nice bite to it as well

I don't drink a lot of zinfandel, but if I did, I'd prefer this one right here. Limited small family production out of Dry Creek, and it shows. This Zin shows power, finesse, and great structure. The nose is hot and intense, full of concentrated red fruits and fresh Mediterranean herbs, lavender, espresso bean, and whole nutmeg. The liquid has a beautiful ruby red color with slow moving long legs due to its 14.8% alcohol. Intense in flavor, the wine exhibits vibrant bing cherry and cranberry fruits, ground black pepper, star anise, cola spice, and a gripping spicy finish. It needed an hour to decant, but once it did it revealed a beautiful, complex juice, overshadowing the sometimes damning critique of Zinfandel being a subpar, fruity red intended for barbecue and patio sipping. The best part is, this one has some great time ahead of it, and will age superbly. Drink now through 2030.

$29.99

Notes of souring milk chocolate a la hershey's.

Dark fruit and soft dark chocolate undertones, as well as black licorice, blueberry, and vanilla on the nose. Great round mouthfeel and an explosion of fresh fruit! Ripe plum with some spice and alcohol on the finish, which impresses.. Nice.

If Zin can be pretty... This is it. Hand sorted... Low yield. Made with love.

Pretty decent for a generic dry creek valley zin. Raspberry jam with slight vanilla and spice.