2017 Frediani Vineyard Zinfandel - T-Vine Winery

Crunchy blackberry, dense bramble, chocolate covered strawberry. Wild boysenberry, crushed graham cracker, ripe black currant. Fresh basil and tree bark, sweet violet and rose petal perfume. Huckleberry paste, black plum, and kirsh generously intertwine with tumbleweed, dill, and star anise in a melange of deeply nuanced fruity and herbal complexity. Cocoa powder, licorice, and coffee bean soon follow bringing a surprising dosing of dessert-like decadence bolstered further by vanilla and cinnamon-led baking spice. Richness felt as cassis, roasted chestnuts, and cherry liqueur remains present yet is offset by notes of asphalt, iron, and scorched earth. Dark, mysterious, and brooding yet quite regal and polished; expressing remarkable balance and complexity along with impressive depth, length, and weight. Full bodied with elevated tannin and impressively fresh acidity. This 2017 Frediani Vineyard Zinfandel by T-Vine Winery is a thoroughly intriguing and unquestionably delicious single vineyard Napa Valley red.

Although not often considered a terroir-expressive grape, Zinfandel actually has tremendous potential for expressing the unique character its specific vineyard and region. This bottling, crafted by T-Vine Winery using Zinfandel sourced from the legendary Frediani Vineyard in Calistoga, perfectly encapsulates what red wine from Napa's valley floor is meant to taste like. This wine is rich, ripe, and substantial in size, yet its sheer magnitude does not detract in the slightest from its subtleties. It contains plenty of Zinfandel's typical brambly character and balances it spectacularly with generous fruit and an almost chocolaty character. This is a beautifully serious yet playfully decadent wine that absolutely screams Napa Valley at the top of its lungs. Outstanding.