ZINFANDEL

Hartford Family Winery began back in 1994 by Don and Jennifer Hartford. Since their inaugural release in 1996, Hartford has continued to produce wines with lots of personality and charisma. The single vineyard wines they produce range from as little as 90 to 800 cases and receive high accolades from the top wine critics. The Old Vine Zinfandel is produced from true old vines planted 80-100 years ago from some of California's oldest Zinfandel vineyards.

An opaque core with a red amethyst rim, the wine opens with ripe raspberry and blackberry, dark plum preserves and hints of black pepper and clove. An entry of heft, the palate is packed with blueberry and sweet black cherry along with touch of fresh herbs—thyme, savory and tarragon. Long on the finish, the ripe tannins, a dash of ash, and notes of black tea round out the wine.

JEB DUNNUCK 95 POINTS - "A wine that always delivers, the 2018 Geyserville from Ridge comes all from a single vineyard in the Alexander Valley and checks in as 68% Zinfandel, 20% Carignane, 10% Petite Sirah, and the rest Alicante Bouschet. It has a big, cedary bouquet of red and black plums, sandalwood, potpourri, and Asian spices that develops and fills out nicely with time in the glass. This carries to a more medium-bodied Zinfandel that has wonderful purity of fruit, present yet ripe tannins, flawless balance, and a great, great finish. This structured yet ethereal example of this cuvee ranks with the finest vintages to date. Drink it any time over the coming 10-15 years."

WINE SPECTATOR 93 POINTS -"Robust yet brooding, with multilayered black plum, licorice and Asian five-spice powder flavors that build richness toward big, briary tannins. Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet. Best from 2022 through 2030"

ANTONIO GALLONI 96 POINTS - "The 2018 Lytton Springs is magnificent. Elegant, layered and so complete, the 2018 has a lot to offer, but it needs time to fully come together. Sweet red cherry, red plum, blood orange, spice, mint and rose petal open up in the glass. Bright acids and beams of tannin give the wine its vibrant energy. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2018 for at least a few years. Wow!"

Since 1991, Ridge has made Zinfandel from the old Pagani vineyard on the east-facing side of Sonoma Valley. Almost all the vines here were planted more than a hundred years ago. Pagani Ranch is a fine example of what we look for in a vineyard: low-yielding old vines, carefully tended by a quality-conscious family who, in this case, have worked the land for four generations. The vineyard's long survival is proof of its merit. An average site would have been abandoned during the thirteen years of Prohibition, or during the Depression.

ANTONIO GALLONI 95 POINTS - "The 2018 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch is superb. A burst of sweet red/purplish fruit, exotic spice, flowers and blood orange fleshes out in a Zinfandel of tremendous class. The Pagani has a level of textural breadth and resonance that separates it from most wines in this range. It also has a bit more new oak than the other wines here, but that should not be an issue in time. Bold, creamy and sensual, the Pagani just hits all the right notes. I wouldn't touch a bottle anytime soon. Readers who can find it will own a small piece of history, as Pagani is one of the most pedigreed vineyard sites in the United States. The blend is 84% Zinfandel, 9% Alicante Bouschet and 7% Petite Sirah."

JEB DUNNUCK 95 POINTS - "A rocking Zinfandel from Sonoma County, the 2018 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch offers a more ruby/plum color to go with a great nose of spice red and black fruits, sandalwood, chocolate, and new leather. This spicy, medium to full-bodied, incredibly seamless 2018 has fabulous tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It's every bit as profound as the 2017, if not better. It's going to keep for 10-12 years."

Spanish for "the gold," El Dorado Vineyard sits not far from where the precious metal was first discovered in California. As the state's early pioneers coveted gold, Koerner Rombauer so prized the Zinfandel from this site, he could not resist when the chance to buy the vineyard arose in 2010. This marks the third vintage of El Dorado Zinfandel under the Rombauer family's ownership.

The grapes were carefully destemmed and optically sorted to ensure only perfect fruit made it into the wine. A cold soak extracted color and flavor before primary fermentation began in tank. The wine was gently basket-pressed, then racked to oak barrels to finish primary fermentation, malolactic fermentation and aging.

This wine is ruby red with a bright hue with aromas of red berries and blackberries mixed with brown sugar, tobacco and a hint of rose. On the palate, it's expansive and dense with flavors of plums, boysenberry, blackberry jam, vanilla and dried florals. The finish builds and lingers on and on.

Coming from several key vineyards in the Sierra Foothills and other regions in Northern California, this juicy, jammy Zinfandel is deep purple in color with powerful aromas of wild berries, clove and plum that emerge from the glass. Luscious, juicy layers of black cherry, blackberry and boysenberry integrate with nuances of allspice and burst on the palate. The berry flavors linger for an extended finish.

Cedarman is a proprietary blend of certified organic fruit from some of the highest elevation plantings on Howell Mountain. Primarily Zinfandel, Turley uses a small amount of Petite Syrah as well, resulting in a truly powerful, dense and wild wine, long on flavor. Wild berries, cracked pepper, game, pine forest—the perfect wine for cabin-goers and cabinfever-havers alike. For fans of bold and full flavor, the wine has tons of brambly fruits and signature mountain brawn. A serious steal, the Cedarman is exemplary in 2018. Can decant or lay down, though does not require either.

ANTONIO GALLONI 92-94 POINTS - "The 2018 Zinfandel Judge Bell Vineyard is very pretty, aromatic and nuanced. Crushed red berries, mint, blood orange, rose petal, red raspberry and mint are all nicely laced together in a gracious and pretty mid-weight Zinfandel that has so much to offer."

ANTONIO GALLONI 93-95 POINTS - "The 2018 Zinfandel Steacey Ranch is dense and plush on the palate, with stunning richness and all of the volume that is so typical of this year. Super-ripe red cherry, plum, blood orange, mint end exotic spice notes are all pushed forward in this pretty, racy wine."