Once & Future Wines
Frank's Block Teldeschi Vineyard Zinfandel
Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA
Once Again, I can’t wait and open a Once & Future Zin too early! But this is remarkable even though it’s a baby. Deeply earthy nose has loads of rocky, warm gravelly notes, along with tight but profound pure blackberry fruit. Intense but contained in the mouth. Surprising acidity accompanies tight, deep fruit and mineral notes. Tannins there but very fine grained and buried in the rich flavors. Lengthy finish. Only quibble is a little peppery heat ((15.2% alcohol) pooks through in the finish.
Once Again, I can’t wait and open a Once & Future Zin too early! But this is remarkable even though it’s a baby. Deeply earthy nose has loads of rocky, warm gravelly notes, along with tight but profound pure blackberry fruit. Intense but contained in the mouth. Surprising acidity accompanies tight, deep fruit and mineral notes. Tannins there but very fine grained and buried in the rich flavors. Lengthy finish. Only quibble is a little peppery heat ((15.2% alcohol) pooks through in the finish.
Jul 7th, 2026A bit young but oh so good. Wonderfully complex nose has bright black raspberry fruit, fragrant stony gravel, high-toned backing spice, mid-purple florals. A little youthfully angular in the mouth, but with brightness and fruit and concentration and length. The purity of fruit is ridiculous. In 3 or 4 more years this will be even more amazing.
A bit young but oh so good. Wonderfully complex nose has bright black raspberry fruit, fragrant stony gravel, high-toned backing spice, mid-purple florals. A little youthfully angular in the mouth, but with brightness and fruit and concentration and length. The purity of fruit is ridiculous. In 3 or 4 more years this will be even more amazing.
1 person found it helpfulMay 4th, 2025
After seeing a couple notes on CT claiming this was ready and didn’t need much of a decant, curiosity got the best of me. Woof...maybe my bottle was an outlier, but this is NOT READY.
I followed this over two days. Day one I gave this about a two hour decant. Very tannic and shut down on the palate. A wall of miscellaneous red and black fruit followed by a seriously tannic finish. I re-corked, then decanted another hour and a half on day two and it made all the difference in the world. Much more open knit. The aromatics were classic Dry Creek zin with maraschino cherries dipped in fondue, cedar, baking spices and a mix of red and black licorice. On the palate, the acidity remained high over both days and came across very high toned...lots of red and black fruits (rhubarb, fleshy black cherries, raspberry infused dark cocoa) alongside kirsch, boysenberry jam (just a hint) and more cedar and sandalwood. This zin master has crafted another fabulous zin, but like many Ridge zins, this needs a good bit of time (and that’s coming from someone who enjoys a good amount of flavor). Hold for 3+yrs, or decant 4-6hrs.
After seeing a couple notes on CT claiming this was ready and didn’t need much of a decant, curiosity got the best of me. Woof...maybe my bottle was an outlier, but this is NOT READY.
I followed this over two days. Day one I gave this about a two hour decant. Very tannic and shut down on the palate. A wall of miscellaneous red and black fruit followed by a seriously tannic finish. I re-corked, then decanted another hour and a half on day two and it made all the difference in the world. Much more open knit. The aromatics were classic Dry Creek zin with maraschino cherries dipped in fondue, cedar, baking spices and a mix of red and black licorice. On the palate, the acidity remained high over both days and came across very high toned...lots of red and black fruits (rhubarb, fleshy black cherries, raspberry infused dark cocoa) alongside kirsch, boysenberry jam (just a hint) and more cedar and sandalwood. This zin master has crafted another fabulous zin, but like many Ridge zins, this needs a good bit of time (and that’s coming from someone who enjoys a good amount of flavor). Hold for 3+yrs, or decant 4-6hrs.
Popped and poured; served at cellar temp (55°F). Drank alongside the 2017 Oakley Road. Both were excellent and yet quite different from one another, really expressing their unique terroir. Very primary right now, the Teldeschi was darker fruited with brambles and black pepper. Somewhat brooding. A touch more weight on the palate than the Oakley Road. Long, delightful finish. This seemed to expand the longer that the bottle was open. This should age very well.
Popped and poured; served at cellar temp (55°F). Drank alongside the 2017 Oakley Road. Both were excellent and yet quite different from one another, really expressing their unique terroir. Very primary right now, the Teldeschi was darker fruited with brambles and black pepper. Somewhat brooding. A touch more weight on the palate than the Oakley Road. Long, delightful finish. This seemed to expand the longer that the bottle was open. This should age very well.
1 person found it helpfulJun 20th, 2019
I love this wine! Joel Peterson makes good things. It’s all the baking spices and currants, dried and fresh, you could hope to have. Silky and beautiful.
I love this wine! Joel Peterson makes good things. It’s all the baking spices and currants, dried and fresh, you could hope to have. Silky and beautiful.
1 person found it helpfulAug 11th, 2018
Dark, bramble fruits. Rich, but well balanced
Dark, bramble fruits. Rich, but well balanced
1 person found it helpfulMay 7th, 2018
Deep, rich, ripe red and black fruits, and sweet vanilla oak. Hedonistically delicious!
Deep, rich, ripe red and black fruits, and sweet vanilla oak. Hedonistically delicious!
1 person found it helpfulJul 31st, 2017A very good and fun wine. I was once told that old Zinfandel aged a lot like CA Cabernet, and this finally proved it to me.
A very good and fun wine. I was once told that old Zinfandel aged a lot like CA Cabernet, and this finally proved it to me.
Jan 15th, 2025
