Zanon Petite Sirah Family Vineyards 2018

Trefethen Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Petit Verdot; 3% Merlot; 2% Malbec; 1% Cabernet Franc. 

Rich, deep red garnet color with aromas and flavors of black currant, ripe plum, and blackberry. Notes of lavender, cocoa, and leather are layered with black pepper and vanilla bean. Full-bodied and intense, this wine is balanced and well-structured with seamless acidity and firm tannins. This powerful wine is approachable and enjoyable now and will continue to evolve and show its personality over the next decade.

Winery Chef Chris Kennedy loves to pair this wine with black pepper or thyme to bring out the layered notes of this Cabernet Sauvignon. These spices soften the tannins allowing the fruit notes of the wine to be more noticeable and enjoyable. He suggests pairing it with our Ahi Tuna au Poivre recipe.

Review:

“For the second year running, it’s an Oak Knoll Cabernet which has carried the Best In Show torch for the Napa, underlining the fact that this spot in the Valley seems to be ideal for mingling Napa’s diagnostic generosity and depth with an expressive finesse and an approachability which both appeals to our judges and chimes with the wine world’s zeitgeist. The wine is still dark black-purple, and the aromatic currant and berry fruits are blue, tender and enticing, with skilled and seamless oak integration. On the palate, the wine has weight and depth — but what you really notice in this 2018 vintage is its purity and inner energy; the weight and depth follow on after, but don’t overwhelm from the start. The seamless integration of acidity and brisk tannin, too, is another mouthwatering hallmark — of skilled winemaking, or the place? Who’s to say?” – July 2021

- BEST IN SHOW
Decanter World Wine Awards 97 Points

Grace Town Petite Sirah is made from 100 percent Petite Sirah.

The Lodi Appellation has a classic Mediterranean climate, featuring warm days and cool evenings. Situated 100 miles directly east of the San Francisco Bay, at the edge of the San Joaquin/Sacramento River Delta, cool delta breezes provide the region with reliable, natural air conditioning throughout the growing season. This perfect climate allows one to consistently craft a diverse set of delicious, full-flavored wines that display a refreshing natural acidity.

Petite Sirah, aka Durif, is French in origin and originally a seeding cross of Syrah and Peloursin, which yields wines that are dark, rich and bold. Grace Town Petite Sirah is dark in color with prunes, cherries, vanilla, long flavors. A complex red wine that complements a variety of dishes.

Trefethen Family Vineyards Dragon's Tooth Red is made from 49% Malbec, 27% Petit Verdot and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our Nana, Catherine Trefethen, was Welsh. Her twin loves of wine and family were the original inspiration for our estate in Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District. Celebrating our heritage, “Y Ddraig Goch”, the symbol of Wales, adorns this bottle of Dragon’s Tooth, a provocative blend born from the rockiest part of our vineyard.

This wine opens with expressive aromas of cherry and blackberry accented with notes of fig, tobacco leaf, and sarsaparilla. Full-bodied and balanced, the integrated flavors of ripe dark fruit lead to a lush and abundant finish.

Review:

A rich, round red with plum, berry, chocolate and walnut character. Lots of cherry flavors. It’s full-bodied with round tannins and a delicious finish. 49% malbec, 27% petit verdot and 24% cabernet sauvignon. Drink or hold.

-James Suckling 94 Points

Betz Family Besoleil is made from 55% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre, 11% Syrah and the rest Cinsault,

Grenache is the star of Besoleil, but it's not the whole story. Additional southern Rhone varieties have found their way into the blend and today the wine includes Counoise, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre . Our cellar treatment has also evolved in several ways in order to promote additional nuance from these southern Rhone gems. Larger, neutral oak cooperage of 300 and 500 liters provides less surface-to-volume ratio, resulting in slower evolution and less oak influence in the final wine. Aging up to two-thirds of the blend in concrete vessels helps maintain a bright, fresh fruit character.

The story of Besoleil begins with our long-held belief that a precise marriage of soil and site can produce a profound expression of Grenache in Washington. We put that belief to the test with Besoleil's first vintage in 2003. While the Grenache in the earliest vintages of Besoleil was sourced from various vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley, two sites in particular (Olsen Vineyards in the Yakima Valley and Upland Vineyards on Snipes Mountain) have excelled as uniquely distinctive for Grenache. These two sites are the sources for the entirety of the Grenache in Besoleil today.

Besoleil is our Spanish/French whimsy for "kissed by the sun". It alludes to the warm, sunny days in the south of France that impart an intensity of character to the Grenache grape and its southern Rhone relatives. Imagine the windswept vineyards of Chhateauneuf-du-Pape, the inspiration for this wine, where Grenache thrives alongside a dozen or more other grape varieties.

Review:

The Southern Rhône blend from this estate, the 2018 Bésoleil checks in as 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 12% Counoise, and 3% Syrah that was 60% destemmed and brought up in used barrels. It's always a lighter hued effort and offers a translucent ruby color as well as perfumed flowers, sandalwood, herbes de Provence, and assorted red fruit characteristics. Medium-bodied, nicely textured, and balanced, it's a charming, undeniably delicious blend to enjoy over the coming 5-7 years or so.

-Jeb Dunnuck 91 Points

Betz Family La Serenne Syrah is 100% Syrah

La Serenne is the most reflective of the site/vintage dynamic of our three single-site 2012 Syrahs. Lovers of this wine know that its source, the Boushey Vineyard, is the highest altitude of the three vineyards and is typically the latest harvested. This cool site was accentuated by the cooler season and the results reflect the seriousness of this vineyard and its care.

An extraordinary, nearly impenetrable black purple color leads to a concentrated, inky aromatic impression: smoky black cherry and wild blackberry dominate, but a litany of supporting aromas is already emerging: smoke, violet, mushroom, roasted meat, Chinese 5 spice and minerals. It has a full attack on entry and a big, rich mouthfeel that goes on and on.

Review:

The 2018 Syrah La Serenne comes from the Yakima Valley and is always a more gamey, complex, exotic Syrah than the Cote Rousse. All from the Boushey Vineyard and seeing 70% stems, its ruby/purple hue gives way to a great nose of blueberries, lavender, smoked game, and peppered meat. Blind, I'd have guess it was from the Rocks region in Walla Walla given it's gamey exotic, floral character. Beautiful on the palate as well, with medium to full body, building tannins, and plenty of fruit, it needs 2-3 years of bottle age and will cruise for over a decade.

-Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points

Zanon Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec.

Zanon Cabernet Sauvignon is a medium-bodied with dark red color. Dark ripe berries dominate the aromas and flavors mixed with the earthy dried herb nuances. This true Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec can be enjoyed upon release or aged up to 7 years.

The vineyards for this estate fruit are located in the northern part of the historic Dry Creek Valley. This pedigreed region has long been known for great vineyards and wines. The vineyards unique combination of soil, sun, and fog help these Bordeaux varietals develop exceptional ripeness, flavor, and acidity.