"1st, ...this is the wine that allows us to rehab old vyds by giving us a place to put the fruit while we upgrade farming, pruning, & soil health; at an average of 80 years of age, these lovely old vines appreciate the attention. 2nd, we now farm over 50% of the fruit that goes into this bottling, which allows us to make the hard farming decisions (dropping fruit, picking in multiple passes, etc.) to ensure we get the quality we need. 3rd, it is a statewide blend of vines, which means we can flex towards the strengths of a vintage. In 2017 we were able to put extra focus on the great quality in Contra Costa County (27%), Dry Creek (12%), Sonoma Valley (17%), Alexander Valley (11%), and Lodi (10%). 4th, we want this wine to spread the gospel of Zin from CA, & as such this sees fruit from great sites such as Evangelho, Bedrock, Nervo Ranch, Teldeschi Ranch, Sodini, & Pato Vyd. The final wine is roughly 86% Zin, 5% P.S., & 5% Carignan, with the balance being Alicante Bouschet and all the other crazy and lovely field-blended varieties found in our old vyds."

N: RIPE berries with notes of vanilla, poss dill, with undertones of pyrazines?

P: LM, poss Med, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which pretty much loses its punch by the lONG finish with a tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. Deserves another 6-12 mos, then drinking for 3 yrs more? 14.2% ABV; My EXC-, arguably > for QPR. 93 pts WS; [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]

Note: Also tasted on 2/16 & 3/9/2019

92% Zin & 8% P.S. "from old head-pruned vyds (≈70 yrs old ave) in the Alexander & Dry Creek valleys farmed by the multi-generational Passalacqua & Saini families; Small-lot, open-top fermentors with punch-down maceration by hand; Total maceration time 9 days; The free run wines were barreled down to complete primary fermentation & undergo malolactic fermentation in barrel. Barrel aged 14 mos in 20% new FR oak; neutral barrels were a mixture of FR, AM, & Hungarian oak; The lots were racked twice prior to bottling." 10,720 cs produced & released Sept '16 @ $40.

N: RIPE berries with earth & other unparsables beneath; Intensity lurking?

P: Med body; NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which PRETTY much resolves by the LONG finish with a tangy/swtness to the fairly unoffensive, dusty tannins. Deserves/NEEDS another 6-18 mos, then drinking for 3 yrs more. A bit overextracted for my taste. 14.8% ABV; My VG+/EXC-. 91 pts ea RJonWine & WS, and Silver @ the '18 Int'l Wine Challenge. [Check with this vendor if interested in their competitive price.]

95% Zin & 5% Petite Sirah

N: Closed; Ripe berries with notes of earth

P: LM body; NICE, almost swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which somewhat resolves by the LONG finish with a tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. NEEDS a yr or so, then drinking for the ff 3 yrs. A relatively elegant style. 14.9% ABV; My EXC-. 92 pts Jeb Dunnuck, 88 Vinous (Galloni), & 16.5/20 Jancis Robinson. [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]

Note: I tasted this on 10/28/2017, 3/10/2018, and 8/11 & 8/25/2018.

N: Closed; Ripe berries with floral undertones & burgeoning depth? Intensity lurking?

P: Med body; Very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it transitions into a LONG finish with an enticing tangy/swtness to the dusty tannins. NEEDS through '20, probably '21, then approaching its 10th. 14.8% ABV; My EXC, arguably more for QPR &/or time in the cellar. [By all means DO check with this vendor if interested in their **very** COMPETITIVE price!] 95 pts ea Jeb Dunnuck & Vinous (Galloni), 93 ea WS & WE @ $40, and 92 WA!

Note: 1st tasted on 10/27/2018, with a MUCH > + retaste on 1/12/2019!

85% Zin, the other 15% being a blend of P.S. & Sirah, some which "features" frt from Dry Creek (Grist & Taylor Vyds), Lodi (Pilgrim Vyd), & Amador (Aparicio Vyd); Aged in "a combination of FR & AM oak barrels (25% new)";

N: RIPE, poss jammy, with a smokey component

P: Med body; Rndish entry with ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which loses ALL its snap by the LONG, tangy/swt finish to the scant dusty tannins. For now & through '21, poss '22? 15.5% ABV; My VG+. [This vendor's $23.95 now puts it in the top 20% of wine-searcher's MASSIVE # of postings.]

88% Zin, 9% P.S., & 3% Alicante Bousche from a vyd "on the W side of Sonoma Valley, the majority of which was planted 90-120 years ago, portions of it being replanted between 2013—2018;" Harvested 9/21-26 @ 25.1˚ Brix ave; "Grapes destemmed & crushed; Natural primary & secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pumped over a floating cap & pressed @ 9 days; Aged 12 mos in 100% air-dried AM oak barrels (15% new, 30% 1 & 2 yrs old, and 55% 3, 4, & 5 yrs old);" 3,250 cases made.

N: Closed; Ripe berries, poss with flowers & notes of spice? (Tough to parse.) Intensity luring?

P: LM body; NICE, almost swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays withing hailing distance of the init frt as it fairly seamlessly morphs into a LONG finish with a potential elegance to the dusty tannins. For me a VERY *impressive* vintage of this bottling which I've found over the top the 6x I've tasted the '13, '14, & '15. NEEDS through '21, then approaching its 10th. 14.8% ABV; My EXC/EXC+. 94 pts ea Vinous (Galloni) & Palate Press ("Highly Recommended"), 93 ea Dunnuck, Suckling, & WA (Kelley), 91 ea Connoissers’ Guide, WS, & CA Grapevine ("Highly Recommended"), and 90 The Fine Wine Review! [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]

Greg, THANK you for allowing me to retaste this! Moreover, your musician's timing WAS impeccable, as this time I was able to try it directly after the '16 Ridge Pagani Ranch! :)

Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.

N: ATTRACTIVELY *ripe* berries with unparsables underneath; Intensity lurking

P: LM body; NICE, almost swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which pretty much resolves by the LONG, BALANCED, tangy/swt finish to the dusty tannins. DESERVES another yr or so, then drinking for at LEAST 4 yrs more? 14.4% ABV; My EXC, more eventually? [Check with this vendor if interested in their competitive price.]

Note: Also tasted on 9/14/2018 & 1/5/2019.