Bottle Notes, Zinfandel

2013 Ravenswood Zinfandel Barricia Vineyard – Bottle Notes

Ravenswood was founded in 1976 by Joel Peterson. The winery is a pioneer in producing single vineyard Zinfandels from some of Napa and Sonoma’s most treasured vineyards, including Dickerson, Old Hill, Cooke and Belloni. I used to visit Ravenswood in the summer, when they released their single vineyard wines. Back in the day they also served delicious barbecue on the deck out behind the winery. Great wine, great food and great memories.

Ravenswood was recently sold by Constellation to Gallo and the iconic Sonoma tasting room was shut down. The future of the brand is in question at this moment. I blogged about this recently in The End of an Era with the Closure of the Ravenswood Tasting Room.

Barricia Vineyard is 36 acres in size, dates back to the 1890’s, and is located in the heart of Sonoma Valley. At one time the vineyard was owned by General Mariano Vallejo who traded it to his children’s music teacher in exchange for piano lessons.

Crimson in color. 15.1% ABV. Brilliant nose of brambly red fruits, anise and white pepper. Medium body with strong acidity and a touch of heat on the palate. Rustic, Claret style Zinfandel. Raspberry, black cherry, blackberry, earth and pepper on palate. The finish is long with a wall of tannins. Just a great big Zinfandel where the fruit is overwhelmed by the tannins. I bought 3 bottles on closeout at $14 per bottle. I’ll roll the dice on my last two and wait a few years to see if the wine comes together.

My rating: 88 points.

Ravenswood is widely available at retail and via their web site. I’ve no idea of what will become of Ravenswood in future years so I will buy the wines when a deal presents itself.

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