Though Napa is undisputed cabernet sauvignon country, zinfandel actually has a longer heritage in the valley, though still receives little fanfare. Good thing then that Frank Family still keeps at it. This offering is all zinfandel with 11% petit sirah added in, then aged 16 months in a combination of new and used French oak barrels. It offers black cherry, plum, bing cherry, blueberry, huckleberry and blackberry, all of which conspire with moderate tannins and acidity to make a zinfandel that is worthy of a Napa designation. Zinfandel has been planted in Napa since the mid-1800s but often times it has been treated as a second-class citizen. Here, Frank Family knows how to treat it with the respect it deserves.
ORIGIN: Napa Valley
ALCOHOL: 14.8%
PRICE: $38/750 ml
SCORE: 90 POINTS