Behind the Cork™ - Ridge Three Valleys Red Blend

2018 Ridge Three Valleys Sonoma County ($30)

Ridge Vineyards was founded in 1959 when four Stanford Research Institute engineers—David Bennion, Charles Rosen, Hewitt Crane, and Howard Zeidler—purchased a mountainside property on the Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. 

While winemaking on the site dated back to 1885, the partners produced their first small vintage of "Estate" Cabernet in 1959 and officially re-bonded the winery for the 1962 vintage.

Ridge Three Valleys red blend is produced from 70% Zinfandel, 14% Petite Sirah, 12% Carignane and 4% Mataro (a.k.a. Mourvedre).

The “Three Valleys” name comes from the fact that the grapes came from vineyards in Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Sonoma Valley.

Each lot of grapes was fermented for nine days on their skins followed by aging for 10 months in oak.

This 2018 Ridge Three Valleys red blend is medium ruby in color with aromas of dark fruit and dried herbs. On the palate, this medium-full bodied wine has rich black and red fruit flavors including black berry, black plum, raspberry and a hint of strawberry and red cherry. Although a 2018, it still had good tannin and medium acidity. It was a bit jammy with soft, smooth sweet-fruit flavor (not sweet, but invoking sweet fruit flavors).

Ridge is a dependably great winery and this 2018 Ridge Three Valleys red blend lives up to the Ridge reputation. A wonderful fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Behind the Cork™ - Easton Zinfandel

2016 Easton Zinfandel ($18)

Easton Wines was founded in the late 80s by husband and wife team Bill Easton and Jane O’Riordan.

Bill puts his family name, EASTON, on their non-Rhône varietal wines. The wines are crafted from varietals that have traditionally worked the best in Amador County and the Sierra Foothills.

This wine was produced from 100% Zinfandel vines grown in Amador County that are from 20-80 years old. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and was aged for 11 months in 10% new French oak barrels.

Easton’s Zinfandel style typically emphasizes acidity and spice over "jamminess." This wine has been described as having aromas of blackberry, raspberry and black pepper. Unfortunately, although this 2016 vintage bottle has been stored in a wine refrigerator in a darkened room, it showed some definite garnet color and muted fruit flavors - signs of premature oxidation. It seems that this bottle moved past its "secondary" stage of aging and went straight into "tertiary" phase (dried leaf, leather, earth) much faster than I expected. It should hold up for 10 to 15 years.

So, while this bottle didn’t hold up well, I still believe that Amador County produces great wines, Zinfandel and Barbera especially. So, I’ll be giving Easton Wines another try real soon. Cheers.

Behind the Cork™ - Rombauer Zinfandel

2018 Rombauer Zinfandel ($42)

Koerner and Joan Rombauer established Rombauer Vineyards in 1980, and in 1984 they released their first California-style Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines. One interesting note about the Rombauer family is that Koerner’s great aunt Irma Rombauer wrote the internationally renowned cookbook, The Joy of Cooking.

This Zinfandel is a blend of 93% Zinfandel and 7% Petite Sirah. The grapes were sourced from El Dorado (42%), Amador County (32%), Lake County (17%), Napa (6%), and Lodi (3%). They were hand-picked and sorted. The wine making process included a cold soak for color extraction followed by fermentation in tanks and finishing for 16 months in a combination of French and American oak (10% new American oak).

This 2018 Rombauer Zinfandel is deep ruby in color with aromas of black fruit and spices. On the palate, this full-bodied wine has rich, jammy dark fruit flavors of blackberry and boysenberry with notes of vanilla from the oak aging. It finishes smooth with just a hint of sweet flavors.

The 2018 Rombauer Zinfandel is a really nice wine that is widely available and affordable. A great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Behind the Cork™ - Sonoma Grove Zinfandel

2022 Sonoma Grove Zinfandel ($8)

This Sonoma Grove 2022 Zinfandel is produced for the Navigator Wine Collection (formerly Precision Wine Company). They cellar and bottle the wine. The actual wine producer is not available.

Sonoma Grove wine is from Sonoma County, a great region for Zinfandel, especially the Dry Creek region.

Sonoma Grove Zinfandel is medium purple in color with jammy fruit aromas and a hint of sweet tobacco leaf. On the palate, this Zinfandel is indeed jammy, with sweet flavors of boysenberry and blackberry jam. It finishes lean.

Sonoma Grove Zinfandel is a great value and a good fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Frank Family Napa Zinfandel

2017 Frank Family Napa Zinfandel ($38)

Rich Frank, the founder of Frank Family Winery, developed a passion for wine, particularly Bordeaux and Italian wines, during his extensive travels as the former President of Disney Studios. In the 1980s, he discovered his love for the Napa Valley and soon after purchased a home with a vineyard in the heart of Rutherford. This pivotal moment marked the beginning of Rich’s “second career” as the owner of one of Napa’s most esteemed wineries, Frank Family Vineyards.

Leslie (Miller) Frank, the co-founder of Frank Family Vineyards, is an Emmy Award-winning journalist. Today, Leslie actively participates in the strategic marketing and branding of Frank Family and their luxurious collection of wines.

This Frank Family Napa Zinfandel is produced from 91% Zinfandel along with 9% Petite Sirah that were sourced from the family estate and purchased grapes. The wine is aged in new and twice-filled French oak barrels.

This Zinfandel is dark purple in color with jammy aromas of dark fruit. On the palate, this full-bodied Zinfandel has flavors of black berry, black cherry and red plum. It has medium tannin (decanted for one hour) balanced acidity. It finishes smooth with hints of toasted oak.

This Frank Family Napa Zinfandel is a real treat at a great price for a Napa wine, making it a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!