Inspired by the ‘under $25 Zinfandel’ thread, I cracked this. Glad I did!
One of my favorite CA producers and somewhat under the radar. This and Sauvignon Blanc are their flagships.
Medium to dark ruby color. The aromas feature intense black fruits, mostly raspberry with some cherry. There are both mineral and earth nuances. There’s something a little peppery there as well, with some green and white spice notes (cumin, coriander). The palate is vigorous, bright and fresh, but with the tannins starting to resolve. This is as much primary as secondary. The flavors now add some touches of red fruit. The texture offers ripe weight as a counterpoint to the primary fruit. If Zinfandel is not famous for subtlety, here’s an abundance. This is excellent today. Rated 93.
I picked up half a dozen, another few will go back to the water table this fall and winter, the rest will sit for at least a few more years. I don’t know if this will improve, but it’s an experiment I’m happy to try.
When we stayed at the Carter House in Northern California, yes, that Carter, they were known for their outstanding food and wine pairing dinner. I normally don’t do wine pairings, but a Quivira was served as one of the pairings. I enjoyed it so that Mark sold me a bottle. Sometimes, when buying off a restaurant wine list, when you don’t know any of the listed wines, I would buy based on region or sub-region ie Howell Mountain. If I see a Quivira, I know I can buy with a degree of confidence.
Dan, thanks for the note; and the trip down memory lane.
Thanks for the note. I remember stopping by Quivira when we used to participate in the barrel tasting in the Dry Creek Valley area. After tasting Zins all day long, their Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache were always a treat. Don’t think we have purchased any in quite a few years - will need to fix that. Cheers!
I just passed on a 2016 and will probably go back and buy a few after reading your tasting note!! And I agree with you about Quivira being an underrated producer! They produce my favorite SB’s!!
was always a favourite of mine – had the good fortune to run across Doug Nalle there one day ‘bout twenty years ago,
so had a doubleheader of great classic claret-style Zin