Seven bottles pulled for Randy — from a $27.99 everyday Turley to two 96-point Sonoma single-vineyard releases.
Randy — these are the Zins I'd actually pour at home right now. I've sequenced them by price so you can see where the value sits, but the two at the top of the range are the ones I'd fight for: the Carlisle Old Hill Ranch is a pre-Prohibition field blend nobody else can replicate, and the Hartford Highwire is off 100-year-old vines with only 325 cases made.
Have a look and just text or email me which ones you want — I'll take care of the rest.
Brimming with verve, this Zin offers fresh flavors of black cherry, raspberry, briar patch and savory pepper that end with snappy tannins.
The rare Zin showing finesse and briary fruit, with wild berry, mocha and black licorice flavors that gather richness and zest toward lively tannins.
Fragrant blackberry jam aromas lean toward refined flavors of raspberry, briar patch and savory pepper that gather richness and tension toward zesty tannins.
A seductive Zin that’s rich and polished yet handsomely structured, with detailed flavors of raspberry, cranberry, roasted sage and loamy white pepper that end with big but refined tannins.
Briary and brooding, this dark red offers distinctive blackberry and currant flavors infused with chunky chocolate, licorice and fruitcake spices while gathering richness and texture toward medium-grained tannins.
Robust yet refined and lively, with expressive raspberry flavors that are highlighted by underbrush, savory pepper and dark Asian spices that simmer toward medium-grained tannins.
I really love the perfume of the 2021 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard, which has the scent of walking into the forest after a fresh rainfall. It packs in compelling structure, with fine tannins and a brightness to the fruit that is long on the palate.