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Third Place finisher in our 2022 Wine Of The Year Taste-Off!

A sensational California red blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Malbec.Old Soul is a little different with every vintage—translating the story of Mendocino County’s unique terroir straight to your glass. In winemaker Alex’s words, the 2019 vintage was “a dream,” with early replenishing rains and a long, even growing season. Look for savory wild herbs and blackberry cobbler notes on the nose. The palate is rich but not too dense, with ripe tannins that wrap around a core of blue and black fruits which linger on the long, slightly toasty finish.

Saracina is located along the Upper Russian River in northern California's wine country. The 250-acre ranch which includes a winery and sustainably farmed vineyards, is also home to a 140-year-old olive trees, vegetable gardens, beehives, and local birds and wildlife. The handcrafted, limited production Saracina wines reflect a conscious sense of this beautiful place in Mendocino County. Founded by husband and wife team John Fetzer and Patty Rock in 2001, Saracina has always been defined by a strong sense of family. In 2018, Marc Taub took on stewardship of Saracina, upholding the spirit of family ownership that has defined this iconic Mendocino County winery since its inception.

The Zinfandel hails from the certified-organic Chapman Vineyard (head-pruned vines on an alluvial bench in Redwood Valley) and the Sawyer Vineyard (perched at 1,000 feet overlooking Lake Mendocino and planted with head-pruned vines on St. George rootstock). The Malbec is estate grown in vineyards rich in black clay/gravel at the base of the foothills. The Petite Sirah is from our own steep hillside vineyards and the Niemi Vineyard (20 year-old vines which have been dry-farmed for 15 years).

The wine was aged in both Burgundian and American four-year-seasoned oak (10% new) for 18 months, which included five months of native malolactic fermentation.

92 pts Wine Spectator
Plump and briary, this is a zesty update on old-school Zin, offering wild berry, underbrush and licorice flavors that build richness and structure on the lively finish. Drink now through 2028.

The history of Seghesio dates back more than a century. The winery planted its first vineyard in Sonoma County in 1895 and endured both Prohibition and the Great Depression, staking its reputation on good value reds. The brand went upscale in the mid-1990s, transforming itself from a jug-wine factory into an elite Zinfandel specialist. The Seghesio family sold the winery in 2011, yet quality remains stellar. This bottling is not only a bargain, but also a tribute to old-school Zin-based field blends, with winemaker Andy Robinson culling from vineyards in Sonoma, Russian River, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley, including juice that didn’t make it into single-vineyard wines like Home Ranch and Montafi. About 12% of the blend is Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet and other reds. Robinson aged the wine for 10 months in a mix of mostly neutral American and French oak. 100,685 cases made.—Tim Fish

#43 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2021.

91 pts Wine Spectator
A juicy bomb of fruit, this red is also well-structured, with lively raspberry, toasty spice and roasted sage flavors that linger on a snappy finish. Drink now through 2028

Winemaker Notes:
One of the best vintages to date, the 2014 Earthquake Zin is chock-full of fresh sage, huckleberry, and pepper. It will tantalize your taste buds with attractive berry fruit up front, and nishes with a hint of licorice and spice.

89pts- Wine Enthusiast:
-Best Buy: Intensely ripe, jammy and toasty aromas and equally effusive fruit flavors make this full-bodied wine easy to enjoy. It seems to overflow with boysenberry and blackberry, and has a touch of wood smoke from oak.

"Head-trained, dry farmed vines are prized for their production of small, concentrated clusters of grapes that produce incredibly rich and intense wines. For years, Bogle has sought out these gnarly old vines to create our Old Vine Zinfandel. Greeted with the viscous, ripe fruit of jammy blackberries hanging on sun warmed vines, this Zinfandel is enticing and aromatic. Weightier than previous vintages, there’s a sturdy structure that is saturated with dark fruits, laced with hints of lavender and savory herbs. Cracked peppercorns and spicy juniper round out the finish, tempered by 12 months
of aging in two-year old American oak.
" Winemaker notes

"This dense, full-bodied, opulent red reveals gutsy, rich, peppery, meaty, blackberry, blackcurrant and licorice notes. A savory, lusty, heady red, it begs for a grilled steak or a big, juicy hamburger. Drink it over the next 4-5 years. This brand was first created by Orin Swift, but is now run by winemaker Jen Beloz and David Phinney. The wines impressive labels reflect the innovative and creative nature of this wine company." 92 pts WA

Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauv., Petite Sirah, Syrah, Grenache and Charbono.

"Aromas of briar fruits and dried cherry are accented by hints of vanilla and toasted oak. On the palate, tiers of blueberry, ripe mulberry and boysenberry give way to an edge of espresso, cracked pepper and a seasoning of fall spice. These dense aromas and flavors culinate in a lingering finish framed by refined tannins." ~ Prisoner Wine Co.

Winemaker Notes:
Cline Old Vine Zinfandel is a challenging and rewarding wine to make. Amazing old vine fruit, detailed selection criteria and master blending show in the final wine. A wide array of jammy strawberry and plum aromas followed by black cherry, strawberry and vanilla flavors lead to a smooth and lengthy finish.

Dave Phinney's new red blend! If you like the Prisoner you are going to love this!!!

A mix of Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Grenache. Mixed raspberries, blackberries and blueberries appear on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, ripe and supple, yet with just enough softly dusty tannins, a velvety texture and no suggestion of raisined fruit. With its amiable nature and fresh, lingering finish, it should win lots of fans.

Winemaker's Note:
Do you dare an exploration into the dark unknown? This sinfully delicious Red Wine just might set you down a path of gluttonous pleasure. Crafted from the diverse and hallowed soils of the Lodi Appellation, where greedy winemakers hunger to craft not just wine, but also a lifestyle of sin. Here for six generations, we’ve tempted evil’s wrath and are eternally damned to deliver decadent wines like our Seven Deadly Red.

100% Zinfandel from Lodi California. The vineyards are 45 years old on average. This is an easy-going, medium-bodied Zinfandel with seductive ripe fruit notes. Ripe plums, blackberry, and raspberry notes entice the palate. Lush and fruit-forward with a slight touch of oak influence on the finish to add depth. What more could you want in a BBQ wine?

Organic

Planted at 2100 feet in volcanic soils way up on Mount Veeder, Sky makes a Zinfandel like no other. Spicy, wild, and balanced, it has nothing to do with the jammy Zinfandels that California has been known for. Ageworthy and expressive, they perfectly reflect this special terroir.

Hand-harvested, manually crushed with a 100-year old basket press, and aged in 1-10 year old French oak barrels.

Since 1973, Sky Vineyards has been producing some of the most unique mountain Zinfandels and Syrahs to be found anywhere. Owner Lore Olds got his start in wine in 1971 working for such producers as Beaulieu and Mayacamas Vineyards before purchasing his own patch of land on top of Mount Veeder. Planted in red volcanic soil at 2100 feet, Sky is the highest vineyard on the mountain and produces wines of unmistakable character.

Originally planted with 14 acres of Zinfandel, Lore has since added a small amount of Syrah. The vineyards are dry farmed and naturally tended using organic fertilizers, cover crops, birds, and beneficial insects. The winery itself runs on a single solar panel powering a single light bulb. In the cellar things are just as stripped down; grapes are pressed with an old wooden basket press, punched down by hand, aged in old French oak, and bottled by hand. Even the label is designed by Lore Olds with a new one for each wine and vintage.

Now approaching Sky’s thirtieth year, there is no danger of Lore changing his tune. He still makes incredible wines that reflect the vintage and terroir and are capable of aging for a decade or more. These wines simply could not have come from anywhere else and there’s no point in comparing them to any others; they can only be described as Sky.

90 points Wine Spectator
Zesty, bold and fruity, offering raspberry and spice flavors, with a hint of mint as this finishes on a plump and briary accent. Drink now

Organic

94-96 points Vinous
The 2021 Zinfandel Piner-Olivet is another fabulous wine in this range. It brings together so many of the elements that make the Carlisle wines so compelling. Dense and succulent, the 2021 races across the palate, showing notable textural depth and persistence. All the elements are so well balanced. The Piner-Olivet is a blend of Carlisle, Papera, Mancini and Pagani, essentially three grand crus from the Russian River Valley and a fourth from Sonoma Valley! That's a pretty appealing combination in my book. Moreover, this wine is exceptionally well-priced.

89% Zinfandel, 11% mixed Alicante Bouschet, Petit Sirah, Syrah
The Piner-Olivet area of the Russian River Valley is magical for Zinfandel, especially old-vine Zinfandel, and is the home to Carlisle's 'Big 3 Zins' - Carlisle Vineyard, Papera Ranch, and Montafi Ranch. Generally, out of respect for these incredible vineyards, Carlisle bottles them separately. But in this vintage, after assembling the final cuvées, they found themselves left with a bit of each of them. Carlisle considered blending them with a few other components to create a Sonoma County Zinfandel but a blend of the 'Big 3' was so striking, so utterly compelling, they simply couldn't pass.