Big thick gummy fruit in the nose, jacked up on honey and wet rusty steel. Effusive black cherry, a hint of vegetal and vanilla and all through, a dedication to pure Napa elegance and verve taking WAY more notes from the Cab and Merlot book than classic California Zin.

Is this a bad thing? Not completely. As much as I rant about hi-alc zins and ridiculous extractions and flabby prune & vodka offerings, I STILL don’t need it to be Cab. IT NEEDS to be Zinfandel. This merely shows some of the layers and sophistication of Cab, and doesn’t SCREAM zin in the nose, but there are warm luscious hints.

In the mouth, there’s where it is unarguably Zin. Round, chonky fruit, flush with ripeness and a bit of alcohol. Decadent berry gives way to a rather harsh middle of acid and eventually tannin–and still a little burn. Smoky and tobacco-ridden in the finish: all that plump Zin gotta have something to play with.

These people are doing EVERYTHING right with these classic California varieties. Check out their roster and sources and MO and you’ll see.

2016 T-VINE Zinfandel Frediani Calistoga Napa Valley 15.2

tvinewinery.com