Estate Bottled Stags Leap District Zinfandel

A second go round on this vintage. Still has my interest.

A unique Zinfandel that was refreshingly different. Plums, dark cherries, almonds, nutmeg, spice notes. Significant finish that kept on giving.

The nose reveals, ripe, slightly baked plum, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, raspberries & strawberries on the glass edges. Baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, clove. Dark spice, limestone minerals, crushed dry rocks, some black licorice, herbaceous notes, notes of eucalyptus, dark rich soil, used leather with lavender & bright red florals.

The body is medium and lush. The tannins are nicely resolved with dust. The fruits are bright and ripe; slightly baked plum, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, raspberries & strawberries on the glass edges. Raspberry cola, baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, clove. Dark spice, limestone minerals, crushed dry rocks, some black licorice, herbaceous notes, notes of eucalyptus, dark rich soil, used leather with candied lavender & bright red florals. Beautiful round acidity like a rain shower. The long, rich, lush, round, elegant, balanced, polished finish is delicious.

Photos of, Regusci Winery shot from the Silverado Trail, tasting bar, entrance and Estate vines.

This wine had a lot of time to open up. It was vacuum sealed late Saturday and put back in storage.

On Saturday, this wine would have fooled a lot of people in a blind tasting. It started almost Cabernet like; thick, big, showing plenty of milk/mocha chocolate, caramel with dark currants. Tonight, it reveals the classic Zinfandel style, fruits and structure.

On the nose; showing a bit of it turning with a tinge of Port quality, slightly sour dark and mid fruits. Sweet vanilla, some caramel, spiced fruit cake, plum, ripe, ruby; black raspberries, blue fruits, dark sweet almost liqueur cherries, blackberries, plum and some baked strawberries. Limestone, light volcanic minerals, warm, dark spices, sweet vanilla, some caramel, spiced fruit cake, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon stick, tarry notes, some dry & fresh herbs, raspberry cola and dark, fresh & withering dark flowers.

The body & structure has waned a bit from Friday but still full. It remains ripe, fruity and elegant. Ruby; black raspberries, blue fruits, dark sweet almost liqueur cherries, blackberries, plum and some baked strawberries. Limestone, light volcanic minerals, warm, dark spices press deeply into the palate, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon stick, sweet vanilla, some caramel, spiced fruit cake, tarry notes, some dry & fresh herbs, mint, eucalyptus, raspberry cola and dark, fresh & withering dark flowers with violets. The acidity is round and lovely. The long, elegant, ripe, well balanced finish is sensational and heats up with dark, penetrated spice on the long set. It goes on and on for minutes.

Photos of; a long shot of the Estate and vines, their pay on honor vegetable & fruit stand, great picnic area and their tasting room.

A different Zin style. Black berry, pepper notes.

We are all aware of the fires ravaging Napa & Sonoma. Regusci survived with basically a little something more than scorched property as shown in the top photo. One of the lucky ones. The picture on the left shows Laura Regusci and her young son Andrew with fire extinguishers having fought property flames to protect their buildings. In crisis, vintners really come together. That’s Rob Mondavi Jr. helping them with the 17 vintage. I emailed with Jeff Smith of Hourglass and they were helping follow vintners crush grapes etc. at their property who were still without power etc.. Napa/Sonoma is so community strong! The real heroes in all this are the Firefighters in bottom photo. They walk right into the frontline of flames without a second thought. They have been working in some cases three straight shifts a day and then pulling up only a piece of the ground to get some sleep. Some of these Firefighters lost their homes in the fires as well. If you’d like to support these brave Firefighters who have lost everything while at the same time fighting to save others, the Int’l Association of Firefighters has set up a fund for Firefighters who have lost their homes. Here is the link to donate, http://www.gofundahero.com/campaign/detail/4913 🚒. The Regusci 2010 Zinfandel on the nose is; blackberries, boysenberries, dark cherries, huckleberries, poached strawberries, black licorice, baking spices, dark rich earth, dry top soil, bramble, volcanic minerals, violets, lavender and lilacs. The body is round and rich with juicy fruits. The tannins are soft and well resolved. Fruits are ripe; boysenberries, huckleberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, dark cherries & pomegranate. Nice baking spices; vanilla, clove and cinnamon. Rich dark earth, crushed rocks, dry top soil, soft volcanic minerals, black cherry cola/licorice, red florals, violets, light lavender, lilacs, waterfall acidity and a long, elegant, round, rich, juicy fruit finish that’s is consistent all the way through and lasts well over a minute. It’s somewhere around it’s peak with a few more years of good drinking left. Paired well with the slightly spicy Kentucky Bourbon chicken skewers. All our prays and hopes for the people in Napa and Sonoma.

On the nose; floral, jammy fruits of; blackberries, blue fruits, dark cherries, plum, black plum, soft spices, vanilla, mocha, violets and dark flowers. On the palate; richness, elegance, thick, lush body, ripe, rich; blackberries, dark cherries, blue fruits, plum, black raspberries, black cherry cola, rich dark earth, dry powdery brown top soil, crushed rocks, spice, vanilla, volcanic minerals, dark fruit tea, liquid violets, dark florals, touch of bramble, mouth watering acidity and a long, rich, even, elegant finish. Photo tour; long shot of the estate with vines, honor system purchase fruit & vegetable cart (they were farmers before grape growers) great picnic area and their tasting bar.

Fruits are dark, ripe and creamy. Blackberries, dark raspberries, raspberries, dark cherries, tumbleweeds, dark soft dusty minerals, violets, a little bit of baking spices, mix of milk & dark chocolate, used oak shavings, hint of spice, dry mid tannins and ripe fruit finish. I would drink the 10 as it will hold another year...maybe two and then fade.

Blackberries, dark raspberries, raspberries, plum, overripe blueberries, violets, light minerals, soft spice and a softly muted ripe juicy fruit finish. It's fading so drink now. Better 2-3 years ago.

It's the 12 Zin. Delectable might correct? Ripe raspberries, touch of baking spice.