2023 Rombauer California Zinfandel

The grapes are aged for 14 months in a combination of American oak (10% new) and French oak. The winery purchased a facility in Plymouth, California, in the Sierra Foothills, giving them access to 120–130-year-old Zinfandel vines, where this wine is also produced. The Zinfandel is beautifully lifted and red-fruited, showing strawberry and cranberry notes alongside sweet clove, vanilla, and gentle baking spices. There’s wonderful mid-palate concentration, with a freshness factor in 2023 that’s off the charts. A zesty thread of acid tension lifts the wine beautifully. Just spectacular. (JC)