Dry Creek Valley

Ruby with  purple swirls.  The nose is peppery with black cherries, and char.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries and char.  Some warmth on the finish.  This is a very nice, easy drinking Zin that is middle of the road (between Claret and Fruit Bomb) in style.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  This will work well with ribs or a burger.  

Very nice showing for this.  Seems to be just about at peak, of course, noting that Zinfandel matures earlier and Petite Sirah later.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, black cherries, raspberries along with some leather and minerality.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has a nice complexity.  Also very tasty.  Layers of fruit (black and red raspberries) with some underlying minerality.  Nice finish.  This should have another five to seven more years and probably more.  It drinks well on its own and will work  well with all but the lightest foods.  A nice w

This is a blend of 67% Barbera and 33% Sangiovese from Sonoma.  A very interesting take on "Italian Red".  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, black cherries, tree bark, and char.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit with a touch of acidity.  A bit of smoke.  Nice finish.  This worked better with food.  It should be consumed over the next three to five years.   This worked well with pasta in a tomato sauce.  

A. Rafanelli has built up a loyal following of fans and supporters for the Zins and Cabs (and other wines) and with good reason.  At age 15,. this wine is in a prime spot.  Deep ruby/purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is deep with cassis, leather, spice, slight herbal note and tobacco.  Full bodied.  Bright cassis fruit over spice and tobacco.  Complex and deep.  Nice balance.  This is showing some maturity but should easily go another ten to twelve years at this level.  It went great with eggplant parmigiana and would work just as well with a roast.  

This project of Joel Petterson has been at it for a while now and the wines are getting a certain style to them which is very nice.  That is, robust, but just barely (for Zin).  This wine is  80% Zinfandel with the rest Alicante and old-vine Carignan.   Purple in color with ruby swirls.  Mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, raspberries, roasted herbs (sage?), and dust.  Medium bodied with light tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  It drinks easy.  Raspberry fruit with some underlying black pepper and bramble.  Good energy.  Nice finish.  This should drink at this l

This is a solid wine and a nice value in Sonoma Zinfandel.  A blend of 77% Zinfandel, 21% Petit Verdot & 2% Carignane.   Ruby in color with purple swirls.  The nose has raspberries, spice and dust.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is slightly brawny with red fruits.  Easy drinking.  Light tannins.  Best to drink now or in the next few years.  Works well with pizza or burgers.  A nice wine for a party.  Shop around as its MSRP is $26 but its widely available ranging from $15 and up.  

I am always looking for reasonably priced wines and this one sells for around $25 locally.   It is a very nice wine that is worth picking up a bottle or two of if you like Sonoma Cabs.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, slight cassis, slight tobacco and spice.  On the palate, this is ready to drink now.  The black cherry fruit carries thru.  Light tannins.  Some depth and complexity.  Solid finish.  It will work well with burgers or grilled foods.  It should be consumed in the next five years.  

Rafanelli followers are some of the most devoted in the Zin world, and rightly so.  They make some of the best Zins.  In style, the wines are middle of the road.  They have a lot of fruit, but are not bombastic.  They have an elegance but are not in a claret style.  They also age nicely.  This one is purple in color.  The nose has raspberries, black raspberries, black cherries, slight bramble and spice.  On the palate, this has a lot of energy.  Good acidity.  Plenty of black cherry fruit with a bit of raspberries over a char/smoke and spice.  Medium bodied with a lovely texture.  Good fini

My first time trying this Zinfandel.  Its a very nice "middle of the road" in style, Zin.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, cedar and slight bramble.  On the palate, this has good acidity.  Not strong but enough to support the fruit.  Overall it is softer on the palate, but the black cherry fruit comes thru.  Good finish.  It drinks well on its own and would work with all sorts of casual food.  I think it is best to drink in the next few years, but it wouldn't be surprising if this is drinking well, albeit in a claret style, in ten years.  

This is the home winery from longtime Beringer winemaker, Ed Sbragia.  This is an accessible Merlot that is drinking well right now.  Purple in color.  The nose has cherries, slight tobacco and slight chocolate.  On the palate, there is not a lot of depth but the cherries are strong.  A bit of a char underneath.  Some tobacco on the finish.  It seems like it should probably be drunk in the next few years.  It will work well with burgers or pasta and has enough flavor to drink on its own.  It has 95% Merlot and 5% Petite Sirah.