Have you tried Swan?
As I mentioned in my post, yes. Not a lot of bottles thus far, but good experiences with those I’ve tried.
Zeigler (RRV, planted in 1924) is really outstanding.
Sorry, somehow I missed that sentence.
+1 on Bottle Barn, they had Lorenzo’s Heirloom, Kick Ranch Syrah, Ode to Lulu Rose and Sherman and Hookers Shebang the last time I was in there.
No worries 
If you have other suggestions more in line with Scherrer I’m all ears. I don’t mean to be dogmatic but alcohol content on many others’ favorite zinfandels really kills me. I recently have had a number of current release zins and the Scherrer really stood out for balance and restraint where others showed heat and/or oak to a degree that I didn’t care for.
I’m not one to worry about alcohol unless it comes off as out of balance. But the Scherrer Zins have been a mixed bag for me when it comes to ripeness of the fruit. I’ve had good experiences and others when I was ready to move on very quickly due to the raisin like flavors. Nalle OTOH has always come off as restrained in fruit, ripeness and whatever else to me. They are also very good with some years in the bottle. YMMV.
I’ll be looking closely at the %alc on labels before I buy. I’ve been getting tired of 15.5% Zins. I’d buy 'em from Paso if I liked them big and hot.
That’s too bad. I’ve rarely found correlation between a poorly defined number on a label and the quality of the wine in the bottle.
Who said anything about a number on a label? I’m usually pretty close to nailing the %alc just by tasting the wine.
Well you did actually.
But if you can pull that trick blind over a large number of wines, then I might pay money to see it. ![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
Definitely Seghesio, they have wine there that is not distributed everywhere.
Williams Selyem, I was there but dont you have to be on the list? That said, if you are, worth the time but they only poured Pinot.
Just down the road from Selyem on that same road (Westside rd I think) is a small place, Porter Creek. Made a delicious old vine zin.
Also, what about Gary Farrell? I bought his Pinot, wonder if he makes Zin. The facility is absolutely beautiful. high on a hill.
Seghesio is a good suggestion. One of their Zinfandels beat out a lot of higher-priced bottles at a Zin blind tasting I went to recently. Gary Farrell has a couple of good Zins but if I had limited time in the area, there are a lot of the other places mentioned here that I’d stop at before them.
Seghesio does great Zin but if you go there, be sure to try their Sangiovese as well. They do a great job with Sangio, a little rounder than Italian style but not bloated and over done like most California Sangio.
Ridge has been really hit and miss for me lately, not as consistent as they used to be.
Quivera is pretty solid and should be getting stronger with recent wine maker changes.
Passaloqua is relatively new but has excellent fruit sources.
Tons of small producers off the radar, maybe more than any other varietal since the wine press doesn’t care much about Zinfandel.
Steve,
I find many of the Calif Sangios a bit lean/hard and sorta charmless (certainly not the Seghesio, though). The ones I mostly see that I’d call over-the-top,
but certainly not bloated, are from NapaVlly Cabernet producers who make them like their Cabernets, with a ton of new/toasty Fr.oak and
heavy extract. Super-Tuscan in style, which is the market they’re targeting I suppose. But many of the Sangio producers are unable to
capture that briight cherry fruit, sorta Zin like, that makes Sangio such a special variety.
Ridge has been really hit and miss for me lately, not as consistent as they used to be.
My perception is that Ridge has been hitting on all cylinders w/ both the '07 and '08 vintages. Some of their ATP wines
can be a little unthrilling on release, but they have this uncanny ability to blossom into something pretty nice.
Both the '07 and '08 ThreeVllys are very/very nice Zin drinking at a good price.
Tom
Ridge
Nalle
Woodenhead
Carol Shelton
Not too sure what the board policy is on “Self-Advertising”, but you can check my web site at:
I have pages of Somoma Zin producers with some comments on what type of Zin each produces.
Dry Creek: Mauritson Wines
the stuff that Clay’s doing from the Rockpile AVA is great - Jack’s Cabin, Westphall Ridge, and Cemetery (my favorite) vineyards are all top notch.
I sometimes use “bloated” to refer to over oaked and over extracted wines. I think “charmless” sums it up best.
I really like the Three Valleys and some others. Its the ATP shipments with Dusi ranch and any Zin labeled “Late Picked” and “Late Harvest” that pile up in my cellar and don’t get drank. I love the ATP for the Rhones, not so much for the Zins.
Carol Shelton is a good add. Also Deux Amis does some well balanced Zins. They are out of the Meitz facility on Limerick Lane.
That makes sense to me, Steve, in that context.
I really like the Three Valleys and some others. Its the ATP shipments with Dusi ranch and any Zin labeled “Late Picked” and “Late Harvest” that pile up in my cellar and don’t get drank. I love the ATP for the Rhones, not so much for the Zins.
Also agree on that. The LatePicked & LateHravest, though they’re not doing much of them these days, are not some of my favorites
and don’t often do well with age.
Their first 3Vllys (and SonomaStation) were pretty simple and not much to get excited about. The '07 was a real step up, I thought. And the '08 is right up there as well.
Some of the ATP Zins (like Buchicagnani and Nervo/Caboose) are pretty unthrilling on release…just sorta on the simple side.
But I’ll try one a few yrs down the road and am invariably surprised how well its developed.
Tom