Sebastiani Sonoma County Zinfandel 2006

Winemaker Blend Notes: Dark purple hue with ruby edges, our Dry Creek Zinfandel has aromas of roasted walnut, black cherry, dried fig, Mexican dark chocolate, and sweet balsamic reduction. The flavors turn toward true Dry Creek nuances of dark currants, tart cherry, graphite, toasted hazelnut, blackstrap molasses, and finishes with rich tannins, espresso bean, dark caramel, and fresh cranberry. Food Pairings: Our Plungerhead Dry Creek Zin is a big, extracted wine. A porterhouse steak topped with crispy shallots and a loaded baked potato, prime rib with all the fixings is another good choice, or leg of lamb roasted with Indian spices served alongside grilled root vegetables.

Vineyards: Sonoma County is among the finest regions in the United States for Zinfandel. The core of this wine comes from four of the best AVAs for this quintessential American grape: Dry Creek (benchland, terra rosa), Alexander (gravelly alluvial), Chalk Hill and Russian River Valleys. The Syrah blended with it comes mainly from Lake County, which excels in Syrah production. Vintage: 2013 was the warmest vintage in a long time; a fantastic year! It started out with early bud break in March, followed by early flowering of Zinfandel in May. Summer was consistently warm, but there were not any major heat spikes. August was typically foggy and September came in warm and dry. We harvested with riper fruit, a little earlier than normal, and expressed a more fruit forward style. The grapes were harvested September 15th to October 9th at optimum ripeness. We harvested all of the grapes under clear night skies. Winemaking: Harvested in small lots, the grapes were allowed to cold soak up to three days before fermentation. They were inoculated with yeast strains specifically that enhance the raspberry fruit and fermentation completion. The wine was pressed off slightly sweet to avoid excessive tannins. The individual lots were racked off the lees and re-racked into new, one- and two-year-old Hungarian and American oak barrels. It was aged for 9 months in barrels. Any lighter Zinfandel lots were blended with Lake County Syrah early on. Winemaker’s Notes: Medium ruby in color, this Zinfandel displays forward plum and black pepper spiciness, with a vanilla oak background. The palate is filled with juicy, raspberry fruit followed by some green peppercorn spice. The finish has nice tannins that balance out the lush, berry texture. Pair this beautiful Zinfandel with a zesty T-bone steak and red garlic mashed potatoes. - Mark R. Lyon, Winemaker Composition: 88% Zinfandel 11% Syrah 1% Mixed Reds Cooperage: Aged in new and used one- and two-year-old Hungarian and American Oak for 9 months Alcohol: 14.8% TA: 0.55 g/100ml pH: 3.80

Winemaker Blend Notes: Dark purple hue with ruby edges, the 2012 Dry Creek Zinfandel has aromas of roasted walnut, black cherry, dried fig, Mexican dark chocolate, and sweet balsamic reduction. The flavors turn toward true Dry Creek nuances of dark currants, tart cherry, graphite, toasted hazelnut, blackstrap molasses, and finishes with rich tannins, espresso bean, dark caramel, and fresh cranberry. Food Pairings: The 2012 Plungerhead Dry Creek Zin is a big, extracted wine. A porterhouse steak topped with crispy shallots and a loaded baked potato, prime rib with all the fixings is another good choice, or leg of lamb roasted with Indian spices served alongside grilled root vegetables. Winemaker Sourcing and Harvest Notes: A warm 2012 summer gave birth to this massive Dry Creek Zinfandel, which comes primarily two blocks on the north end of the Dry Creek Valley. The fruit was allowed to hang until late October before picking, resulting in a wine of large structure and ripeness. To soften the tannin structure we added 12% Dry Creek Carignane to this blend. We also added 6% Lodi Zinfandel to boost the ripe cherry edge of this wine and finished with 2% Alexander Valley Syrah. The combination of these legs produced a blend with power and grace, which will age well for 3-5 years. - Winery Varietal: 86% Zinfandel 12% Carignane 2% Syrah Appellation: 92% Dry Creek Valley 6% Lodi 2% Alexander Valley pH: 3.66 TA: 6 g/L Alcohol: 14.5% Residual Sugar: 4.5 g/L

Winemaker’s Notes: Medium crimson in color, this medium bodied Zinfandel displays a palate filled with forward raspberry fruits, white pepper spiciness and a long finish of crushed pepper and black tea. The nose is swarming with berry fruits and cedar-like aromas. A perfect wine to enjoy now with your friends and family or pair with a tender beef wellington for an exciting twist. - Mark R. Lyon, Winemaker Vineyards: Sonoma County is among the finest regions in the United States for Zinfandel. The core of this wine comes from three of the best AVAs for this quintessential American grape: Dry Creek (benchland, terra rosa), Alexander (gravelly alluvial), and Russian River Valleys. The Petite Sirah blended with it comes mainly from Stanislaus County, which excels in Petite Sirah production. Vintage: The 2011 vintage was a cool one. A late start to the season was followed by low temperatures throughout the year. A delayed set and mid-June rains ensured low crop levels for most varieties. The cool weather and low yields worked well for Zinfandel which we picked on September 28 through October 26, 2011. The subsequent rain storms that hit Northern California had little impact on our vineyards, and we were able to harvest the remainder of our fruit by the end of October. Winemaking: Harvested in small lots, the grapes were allowed to cold soak up to three days before fermentation. They were inoculated with yeast strains specifically that enhance the raspberry fruit and fermentation completion. The wine was pressed off slightly sweet to avoid excessive tannins. The individual lots were racked off the lees and re-racked into both new, one- and two-year-old Hungarian and Russian oak barrels. It was aged for nearly 16 months in barrels. Any lighter Zinfandel lots were blended with Stanislaus Petite Sirah early on. Composition: 86% Zinfandel 9% Petite Sirah 4% Syrah 1% Malbec Cooperage: Aged in new, one- and two-year-old Hungarian and Russian oak for 15½ months Alcohol: 14.6% TA: 0.60 g/100ml pH: 3.76

Our 2011 Dry Creek Zinfandel is inky purple in color. The aromas show notes of dusty old Dry Creek terrior, candy cap mushroom, concentrated black raspberry, fig preserves, white pepper, and fresh baked cinnamon rolls. In the mouth, you will see flavors of sugar sweetened blackberries, cherry sorbet, cardamom spice, warm nutmeg, Madagascar vanilla bean, wild blueberry, and finishes with notes of fresh figs, thyme, blackberry cobbler, and southern sweet tea.This 2011 vintage has me thinking of smoked turkey legs with sweet potato French fries and fried okra. This blend is refined enough to pair with choice grade steaks as well as anything off the barbeque. Mediterranean fare would also pair well as would lamb dishes. Or try with a dessert course instead of port, with bittersweet chocolate mousse or a dark chocolate tarte with fresh whipped cream. - WinerypH: 3.67TA: 0.62 g/100mLsAlcohol: 14.5%Residual Sugar: 2.8 g/100mLs

The wine is medium to dark crimson in color and displays more briary white pepper spiciness than in past vintages, with a background of cedar and coffee-like oak aromas. The palate is fruit forward, filled with raspberries and a long finish of crushed pepper and Earl Grey tea. This engaging, very appealing Zinfandel is primed to be enjoyed now. It does not display an excess of alcohol or wood and is a delicious and balanced wine that displays varietal complexities that are usually found in more expensive examples. ~ Mark R. Lyon, WinemakerComposition:79% Zinfandel15% Petite Sirah3% Syrah2% Malbec1% BarberaAlcohol: 14.75%TA: 0.62 g/100mlpH: 3.71

What an easy-drinking Zin, and it has real complexity, too. The flavors are of rich, chocolaty cherry, raspberry and blackberry flavors, with Zinny spices, while firm tannins and good acidity provide a rich structural balance. This is a lip-smackingly good Zinfandel.