TN: 1994 Ravenswood Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard (USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley)

WINE TALK
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Enjoyed with a Flannery Hanger for V-day and my 30th:

  • 1994 Ravenswood Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (2/14/2010)
    Still very much alive! Complex nose of Smucker’s strawberry jam, cigar wrappers, lavender and balsamic vinegar. Tannins are almost completely resolved, but ample acidity still keeps the palate fresh. Strawberries and coffee grounds dominate, with some soy sauce on the finish that hints at the wine’s age. Acidity carries the 30 second finish. 14.6% alcohol Zin at 16 years of age… Great stuff! (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

I’m increasingly becoming a fan of mature Zin from producers that make them to age. Having several older Ridge Zins and a fantastic 1994 ESJ Zin in the last six months, I have been very impressed with what the complexities the variety develops with a dozen+ years of bottle age. Definitely not the fruit roller coasters that most fans of Zinfandel look for, but a great compromise of pleasing fruit and interesting aromatic and taste complexities that very much keep my attention.

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I’ve had several vintages of Ravenswood Monte Rosso and have found them to be among the best zins I’ve had. The last one was 2002 I think.

Joel Peterson has taken a lot of flack since selling to Constellation but he still runs things and makes some very good single vineyard wines.

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I was just up there visiting Jacob Terrell(vineyard manager for MR). Beautiful vineyard- 200 acres on a hill top- you can see the bay bridge from the water tank at the top. Jacob and I drove around the vineyard and he pointed out which block(s) go to whom. Pretty cool. We had dinner that night with Jim and Gloria Mack and Jeff Ames in a huge barn next to the old ranch house(which Jake and his family live in) built in the late 1800’s with two ft thick rock and cement walls and huge circular saw milled beams and floor joists. It was the origional winery building. Quite the experience.

Sorry for the thread drift- just thought I’d share the story.

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I agree with Monte Rosso being one of the best (if not the best) Zinfandel Vineyards out there. But I believe that it is now owned by Gallo, not Constellation. They use the fruit for their Rancho Zabaco (Zin) and Louis Martini (Cab and Zin) labels.

Does anyone know if Gallo is still selling any portion of the fruit to brands outside their scope??

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welcome to the light side.

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Peter was saying that Joel sold Ravenswood to Constellation. Ravenswood buys the fruit from Gallo as do many others- list is too many to mention- although Mike Officer now gets a really nice block of 100+ yr. old vines. [thumbs-up.gif]

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I had a Biale 2006 MR Zin a week or two ago and it was kick ass. Great zin fruit.

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Ahhh - thanks for the clarification John.

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Love the Monte Rosso Zins. Very high acidity…last a long long time. One of the best I’ve had was:

  • 2004 Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel Toreador Monte Rosso Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (9/1/2008)
    You can tell the Monte Rosso fruit…tart grapefruit acidity, dusty exotic smoky wooded spice, racy raspberry-cherry-blackberry-plumskin fruit. After having 3 bottles of this wine now, I now have a great sense for what this wine is…an it’s fantastic! It is tart and sour…but the sweet wild fruit, and GORGEOUS exotic dusty spices, meld this wine to a unique style Zin. Still has some heat, more along the lines of a liqueur, but doesn’t distract from the pleasure…once you know the style. I would love to see what some age does to this…could very well gain in big points! Btw, one of the most sludgy sedimented wines I’ve had! The Gallo’s like-um big and unfiltered for sure! (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker


Btw…Happy 30th!

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I have no idea who owns Monte Rosso. I was referring to Ravenswood being owned by Constellation, which it definitely is.

If Gallo owns Monte Rosso that could easily explain why Ravenswood hasn’t done a Monte Rosso Zin lately.

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Yes. That’s what I meant. Though I had no idea Gallo owned Monte Rosso. I don’t think Ravenswood has done one in several years, and that could be why.

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Gallo indeed owns Monte Rosso and, for whatever reason, Ravenswood isn’t getting any of the fruit. Martini is still doing a Monte Rosso zinfandel (Gnarly Vine) and they’re doing a cabernet still.

Biale and Rosenblum, among others, are getting zinfandel from there. Here’s a pic of one of the 125-year-old zinfandel vines. I took this in August. Why they’re irrigating I have no idea.

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If you ever have the chance to try Old Hill form 1991 or 1994, jump at the chance.

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if he comes to the sticks he could try the 1991.

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I know a place where I can score a 1994… [wink.gif]

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i got a few 1997 too…

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Gallo indeed owns Monte Rosso and, for whatever reason, Ravenswood isn’t getting any of the fruit. Martini is still doing a Monte Rosso zinfandel (Gnarly Vine) and they’re doing a cabernet still.

I sat at Joel Peterson’s table at the ZAP Winemaker’s Dinner a few years back, seems to me it was the year Gallo acquired Martini and thus Monte Rosso vineyard. He said Gallo didn’t want competition from larger wineries hence not selling to Ravenswood anymore. Smaller wineries didn’t bother Gallo so some still get the fruit. Biale’s is very good. I have a single bottle of Ridge Monte Rosso Zin from 1995.