{"title":"Zinfandel","description":"\u003cp\u003eZinfandel, a red grape variety with a somewhat mysterious past, is most closely associated with California, where it has become a flagship grape. Genetically equivalent to Italy's Primitivo and Croatia's Crljenak Kaštelanski (and Tribidrag), Zinfandel's journey to California likely occurred in the mid-19th century. The grape thrives in California's warm climate, producing wines that range from sweet rosés (often labeled \"White Zinfandel\") to bold, full-bodied reds with flavors of blackberry, raspberry, and peach yogurt, often accompanied by higher alcohol levels. Zinfandel's ability to reflect its terroir, along with its versatility in winemaking, has made it a beloved and iconic grape in the American wine landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"florezs-wines-ember-eyes-zinfandel-2023","title":"Florez Wines \"Ember Eyes\" Zinfandel 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2023 \"Ember Eyes\" Zinfandel is rooted in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains, where old-vine Zinfandel thrives in rugged, well-drained soils. Farmed organically and with a focus on dry-farming practices, the vineyard captures the essence of Northern California’s warm days and cool nights, allowing the fruit to ripen fully while retaining freshness. This balance of concentration and vibrancy is the hallmark of the region and a cornerstone of Florez Wines’ commitment to sustainable viticulture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ember Eyes” is a Zinfandel reimagined, offering a fresh, refined take on the varietal. Fermented with native yeasts and aged in neutral French oak, this wine eschews the heavy, jammy stereotype in favor of energy and elegance. Aromas of blackberry compote, wild strawberry, and a hint of black tea intertwine with flavors of ripe plum, cracked pepper, and dried herbs. Its silky tannins and lifted acidity keep the palate lively, while a touch of earthiness grounds the wine in its natural origins. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with only minimal sulfur, it’s a pure and unadulterated expression of the grape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJames Jelks, founder and winemaker of Florez Wines, brings a decade of international winemaking experience back to his Santa Cruz roots. With a philosophy rooted in old-world traditions and minimal-intervention practices, James seeks to craft wines that are vibrant, honest, and connected to their terroir. The labels for Florez Wines, created by tattoo artist Drew Nelson, reflect the artistry and individuality behind every bottle—“Ember Eyes” included.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Yes Wines","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46461011624159,"sku":null,"price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P1011298.jpg?v=1731647941"},{"product_id":"buckel-family-wines-zinfandel-2023","title":"Buckel Family Wines Zinfandel 2023","description":"","brand":"Buckle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47044951343327,"sku":"","price":38.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P6101297.jpg?v=1749617807"},{"product_id":"clos-saron-zinfandel-black-swan-2022","title":"Clos Saron Zinfandel Black Swan 2022","description":"","brand":"Few \u0026 Far Wine Co","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47235266904287,"sku":null,"price":44.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8141713.jpg?v=1755225404"},{"product_id":"ridge-three-valleys-sonoma-county-2023","title":"Ridge Three Valleys Sonoma County 2023","description":"","brand":"Classic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48566669869279,"sku":null,"price":37.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P3041054.jpg?v=1772729240"},{"product_id":"masseria-li-veli-orion-primitivo-2024","title":"Masseria Li Veli Orion Primitivo 2024","description":"","brand":"Classic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48756912750815,"sku":null,"price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P4021233.jpg?v=1775182586"},{"product_id":"sandlands-lodi-zinfandel-2023","title":"Sandlands Lodi Zinfandel 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost people dismiss Lodi as too hot for serious wine. The reality is more complicated. During summer heat waves, St. Helena in Napa and parts of northern Sonoma regularly run hotter than Lodi, and the Delta breeze sweeps the region each evening, cold Pacific air funneling east through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and dropping temperatures dramatically after dark. More telling is what the soils reveal. Kirschenmann Vineyard sits on the east side of Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA in silica-rich, white decomposed granite sand, porous enough that grapevines survive on their own rootstocks for over a century. Phylloxera never established itself in this kind of sand. The vines planted here in 1915 are still producing on their original roots, head-trained and dry-farmed, and that sandy soil produces wines that are fine-grained and detail-oriented, not the heavy, overripe profile that Lodi's reputation has long suggested.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e100% Zinfandel from Kirschenmann Vineyard, destemmed, fermented with native yeast in neutral vessels, and aged entirely in neutral French oak (3-8 year old barrels). No acid additions, no water, no new oak. Passalacqua picks early, targeting lower Brix for suave tannins and a genuine acid backbone. The 2023 vintage cooperated: a wet winter brought 32 inches of rain (more than double Lodi's 14-inch annual average), delayed budbreak by two to three weeks, and pushed harvest well into fall. Physiological ripeness came at lower sugar levels than a typical Lodi year. Bright Bing cherry and herbes de Provence aromas open the wine, shifting toward violet with air. The palate has savory drive, meaty and prickled by acidity, with wild fennel and licorice threading through from mid-palate to the finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSandlands is the personal project of Tegan Passalacqua, a Napa Valley native who built his career working in cellars across three continents. He worked with Eben Sadie in the Swartland of South Africa, with Alain and Maxime Graillot in the Northern Rhone Valley, and at Craggy Range in New Zealand before spending more than 20 years at Turley Wine Cellars, rising from harvest intern to Winemaker and Vineyard Manager. Sandlands launched in 2010 around a single premise: forgotten classic California varieties from own-rooted, head-trained, dry-farmed vines in sandy soils, from vineyards farmed for generations but largely ignored by the broader wine world. Passalacqua purchased Kirschenmann Vineyard in 2012, though the first Sandlands Zinfandel from the site did not appear until 2018. The wine carries no vineyard designation on the label, just \"Lodi Zinfandel.\" That restraint is intentional.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine's savory, herb-driven character and bright acidity make it a natural fit with richly flavored food. Lamb chops with rosemary and garlic, grilled merguez with harissa and flatbread, wood-fired mushroom pizza, or pappardelle Bolognese all work well. The acidity keeps everything in check without requiring the food to do any work on the wine's behalf. This is Zinfandel for people who actually cook dinner.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stelvio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50079664144607,"sku":null,"price":33.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P6060303.jpg?v=1780891934"},{"product_id":"plantamura-red-label-primitivo-parco-largo-2023","title":"Plantamura Red Label Primitivo \"Parco Largo\" 2023","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Land\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost people's mental image of Puglia and Primitivo involves flat, sun-scorched plains and heavy, high-alcohol wine. Gioia del Colle is the exception. This subzone sits on the Murgia, a karst limestone plateau 300 to 480 meters above sea level in the interior of Puglia, where thin red ferrous topsoils over limestone bedrock and diurnal temperature swings of up to 20°C through the summer produce Primitivo with fresh acidity, mineral grip, and real restraint. The Parco Largo vineyard borders a nature reserve — the name means \"large park\" — with chalky soils rich in marine fossils. This is Primitivo grown for precision rather than power.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e100% Primitivo from the Parco Largo block, Plantamura's younger-vine parcel. Short maceration of 7 to 10 days, aged approximately six months in stainless steel before bottling. No oak, no heavy extraction — the goal is clean, fresh, place-specific Primitivo. The result is dark cherry, dried blueberry, dried herbs, and dusty earth, with medium tannins and a brightness that runs counter to most preconceptions about southern Italian red wine. The elevated site and limestone soils do the work that most Puglia producers try to accomplish in the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe People\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMariangela Plantamura's family has been growing Primitivo in Gioia del Colle for more than a century. She and her husband Vincenzo began bottling their own wine in 2002, farming organically across the estate. Gioia del Colle was long overshadowed by the more famous Primitivo di Manduria zone to the south, but producers like Plantamura — focused on elevation, limestone soils, and fresh, unencumbered winemaking — have changed the conversation around what the grape can do at altitude in this part of Italy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOrecchiette with braised lamb ragù and pecorino, grilled pork ribs with rosemary and fennel, aged cacioricotta with fig jam, or a simple braise of pork and sweet peppers. Serve slightly cool. A red from the heel of Italy that drinks more like the north than anyone expects.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harvest","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50138759004383,"sku":null,"price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P6170424.jpg?v=1781758337"},{"product_id":"klinker-brick-old-vine-zinfandel-2020-375ml","title":"Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel 2020 375ml","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLodi is not the sun-baked Central Valley most people picture. It sits directly east of the only real gap in California's Coast Ranges, which means cool Pacific air funnels through San Francisco Bay and the Delta most evenings and settles over the vineyards. The Victor weather station in the Mokelumne River AVA records average diurnal swings of 37 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit from June through August, with nights dropping into the 40s and low 50s. The vines grow in Tokay fine sandy loam that runs 50 to 90 feet deep, laced with granitic minerals carried down from the Sierra Nevada by the Mokelumne and Cosumnes rivers. Free-draining sand, granite, and genuinely cold nights are why old vine Zinfandel from Lodi holds its acidity instead of collapsing into jam.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eZinfandel from head-trained, dry-farmed blocks the winery describes as up to 120 years old. Yields run 2 to 3.5 tons per acre, and as little as a quarter ton in the oldest blocks. Barrel fermentation builds structure into a thin-skinned grape that can go soft without it. At 15.4 percent alcohol the wine carries dark cherry, baking spice, plum, cranberry, and black pepper through a finish that stays dry. The 2020 season was the twentieth vintage of this bottling and a demanding one. Lodi received 39 percent of normal rainfall, May rain during bloom cut the crop about 10 percent, and August 16 topped out at 109.5 degrees in what became California's hottest August on record. Smoke from the SCU and LNU complexes crossed Lodi, but those fires burned 39 to 45 miles away and Central Valley growers saw very few smoke-related rejections.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSteve and Lori Felten are fifth-generation Lodi grape growers. The family came by way of Germany and Russia, then the Dakotas, then California's Central Valley, where they farmed watermelons before the land showed what it really wanted to grow. After nearly a century of selling fruit for other people's labels, they founded Klinker Brick in 2000 and released exactly one wine: this Old Vine Zinfandel. The name comes from the dense, dark bricks used in Lodi's older buildings. The family now manages between 15 and 24 separate old vine Zinfandel blocks across the Mokelumne River and Clements Hills appellations, spanning 40 to 122 years in age. Klinker Brick is LODI RULES certified sustainable, an independently audited program covering more than 100 farming practices.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a half bottle, which changes the arithmetic. Two glasses is a weeknight, not a commitment. Pour it alongside grilled tri-tip rubbed with garlic, black pepper, and smoked paprika, where the char meets the pepper in the wine and the acidity handles the fat. Carnitas tacos with pickled red onion work the same way, the onion's acid picking up the cranberry. Slow-smoked pork shoulder with a vinegar-based sauce stands up to 15.4 percent alcohol better than anything sweet. Or keep it simple with two-year cheddar and Marcona almonds. This is the bottle for the Tuesday you want something serious with dinner and no intention of opening a full 750.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Maverick Wine Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51247924084959,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8220171.jpg?v=1787526007"},{"product_id":"retro-cellars-g-r-zinfandel-2022","title":"Retro Cellars G\u0026R Zinfandel 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChiles Valley is in Napa County but it does not behave like Napa. The appellation sits in the Vaca Mountains northeast of Rutherford and St. Helena, rates as a Region II climate, and runs substantially cooler than most of the valley thanks to elevation, persistent northwest winds and fog that arrives late rather than early. Bud break comes after the valley floor, spring frost is a real and recurring threat, and harvest finishes weeks behind the famous Cabernet addresses one ridge west. That lag matters for the G and R bottling, since G and R is Green and Red Vineyard, dry-farmed on hillside soils of decomposed chert, red volcanic rock and green serpentine between 900 and 1,800 feet. Zinfandel here ripens slowly enough to keep acid, which is unusual for a grape that normally races to sugar and raisins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZinfandel from the Chiles Valley District, dry-farmed hillside fruit, minimal intervention in the cellar. 2022 is the vintage Napa growers describe as two harvests in one. An early-September heat spike put five consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures on the vines, rain arrived immediately after and shut picking down, and then a mild October handed the patient their ripeness back. Chiles Valley's later cycle meant the heat landed mid-ripening rather than at the finish, and the cooler elevation and wind kept the sugars from running away. The result is a darker, firmer, more compact wine than the drought-concentrated 2021: black raspberry and bramble, dried herb and black pepper, a stony volcanic edge, and tannin that grips harder on the finish. Give it a year or two more in bottle than you would give the 2021.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRetro Cellars was founded in 2003 by Mike and Kara Dunn, both of whom grew up inside Napa's 1970s farming generation. Mike's family founded Dunn Vineyards on Howell Mountain in 1978, Kara's family founded Pecota Winery in Calistoga the same year. Their first wine was a 2003 Petite Sirah. Production has stayed under 500 cases a vintage. Their son Alex joined in 2022 as estate farmer and brought sheep grazing and carbon sequestration planning with him, and Ted Kizor, UC Davis trained with harvests abroad, came on as assistant winemaker in 2020. The Zinfandel comes from Green and Red, founded in Chiles Canyon in 1977 by Jay Heminway and run today by his family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe firmer tannin in the 2022 wants braising liquid and dark spice. Beef cheeks cooked down in stock with ancho, cumin and a little orange peel meet the bramble fruit and the pepper at once. A pot of rigatoni with a fennel-sausage ragu, built on tomato and finished with pecorino, uses the acid the site keeps. Grilled hanger steak with chimichurri sharp with garlic and red wine vinegar cuts straight through the grip. For the end of the night, a sharp aged cheddar and a handful of toasted walnuts. This is the bottle for the Sunday you spend all afternoon with something in the oven.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Willette","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67575131078879,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P9270417.jpg?v=1790548337"},{"product_id":"retro-cellars-g-r-zinfandel-2021","title":"Retro Cellars G\u0026R Zinfandel 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe G and R in the name is not a pair of growers. It is Green and Red Vineyard, and the vineyard itself is named for two colors in its dirt: greenish serpentine and rust-red iron-rich volcanic soil, both of which surface across the property. The site sits in Chiles Canyon in the Vaca range, twenty minutes east of the Napa Valley floor and across a ridge from it. The Chiles Valley District AVA was approved in 1999 and runs roughly 6,000 acres with only about 1,000 planted. Vineyard elevations here climb from 800 feet to 1,700, and Green and Red's own blocks span 900 to 1,800 feet across Chiles Mill, Catacula and Tip Top, the last being the highest vineyard in the appellation. Grapes grew on this ground as early as the 1890s, when it was part of Rancho Catacula.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZinfandel from Chiles Valley, dry-farmed on hillside volcanic soils and made with minimal handling in the cellar. 2021 was a drought year in Napa and that is the fact that shapes this bottle. The season opened with almost no rain, berries set small and stayed small, and yields came in low, but the harvest itself was unusually smooth, with a long even ripening window and no heat event to force anyone's hand. Small berries on dry-farmed hillside vines concentrate everything, so the 2021 is dense without being heavy and holds acid through the drought concentration. Dark berry fruit and brightness at the same time, a floral lift over the top, savory earth underneath, with the tannin granular rather than soft. The length comes from the site, not from extraction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGreen and Red was founded in 1977 by Jay Heminway, who bought a nearly 200-acre property and planted about 31 acres to vines, mostly Zinfandel, dry-farmed. Heminway died in 2019, and his wife Pam, daughter Tobin and son-in-law Raymond run it now. Chiles Valley's isolation spared some of its pre-phylloxera plantings, which still produce. Retro Cellars, which buys this fruit, was founded in 2003 by Mike and Kara Dunn on Howell Mountain. Mike's family started Dunn Vineyards in 1978 and Kara's family started Pecota in Calistoga the same year, so both sides come out of the Napa farming generation that predates the modern valley. Retro keeps production under 500 cases a vintage, and their son Alex now farms the estate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMountain Zinfandel with this much savory grip is a grilling wine. Pork chops brined in salt and brown sugar, grilled over coals and finished with a chile-and-vinegar glaze, play fruit against smoke. Merguez sausages off the grill with charred peppers meet the spice side head on. For something slower, a pot of black beans cooked with bacon and smoked paprika, served with rice, handles the tannin better than most red meat does. Carnitas tacos with pickled onion and cilantro work for the same reason: fat plus acid. This is the bottle for the first warm evening of the year when the grill finally comes back out.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Willette","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67575131177183,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P9270416.jpg?v=1790548337"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/collections\/drcmontrachet_httpss.mj.runxQTtbMv_yP0_zinfandel_grapes_ready_f67d9f3a-eef4-4506-bd62-2c0b9c562b6b_0.png?v=1740155231","url":"https:\/\/danverwinemerchant.com\/collections\/zinfandel.oembed","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}