Russian River Valley Zinfandel Reviews

Quite ripe and juicy, with baked cherry and toast aromas accenting easy flavors of berry pie and spice. -JL

Editors' Choice

This full-bodied, balanced wine opens elegantly in the glass, revealing red berry and spice around a core of soft, layered tannins and restrained oak. On the finish a remarkable sprinkling of black pepper lingers playfully on the tongue.
 

Best Buys Of The Year

Brian Maloney drew on four vineyards to make this delicious zin, the oldest, Saitone, planted in the 1890s and the youngest, BCD, planted in the 1990s; he raised the wine almost exclusively in older barrels. It's cool and fragrant, firm yet silky, the flavors quiet but convincing, suggesting rose, dried strawberry and pink peppercorn. Its slow-building intensity calls for a plate of prosciutto.