So what do you do when you run into a Zinfandel made by somebody you really never expect to see a Zinfandel from? This producer has pretty much made their mark as a semi-natural, low intervention, moderate alcohol winery in the middle of an ocean of high-proof, ridiculously concentrated, tourist offerings. And they’ve managed to toe that line fairly well despite their neighbor’s extravagance. Still, when I turn the bottle around and realize it’s zin, I’m just like whoa this will be interesting. Visions of old school Zinfandel dance freely in the mind as the cork is coming out. Let’s get that part out of the way. This is not old school, ’80s, Italian field blend Sonoma Zinfandel. It’s also not Zin Alley. Or Dusi. The nose is mired in earthy, concentrated wonder that reeks of Zin. It tastes ridiculously sweet, but gobs of that is translated straight from the Zinfandel playbook, and I won’t mark them down for it. Zinfandel should taste like Zinfandel. It has a high note of structure–believe it or not–that hits early on the palate, and provides a raspy counterpoint to the Zinfandel jamminess. It’s dark and brooding, but at the same time it’s playful in its syrupy dedication to the variety. It goes a different direction from the zinfandel’s I cut my teeth on in Sonoma decades ago, but I’m not going to short-change its playfulness and dedication to the things we all love about Zinfandel. And–at 6–it is not showing any signs of tiredness, something you might expect from me quasi-natural producer. It’s just a joyful wine.

2017 @fieldrecordingswine ‘Old Potrero’ Sran Bros Arroyo Grande Valley “harvested Oct 2018” which I’m not going to even comment on. 14.9