- WINERY Saracina
- GRAPE Zinfandel
- YEAR 2006
- COUNTRY United States
- REGION Mendocino
The Syrah in this spicy, generous red blend comes from a century-old vineyard, which produces small, intense grapes that give the wine terrific depth.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Once an owner and CEO of a family company that made millions of cases of wine a year, John Fetzer now occupies himself with a boutique winery that produces a tiny fraction of that amount. His Atrea and Saracina wines come mostly from grapes grown on the rolling hills of his 600-acre organic estate in Mendocino, a region north of Sonoma on the California coast. As seems to be standard with semi-retired millionaire vintners, a star winemaker consults: in this case, Napa legend David Ramey, whose protégé, Alex McGregor, helms the winery day-to-day. Their collaborative efforts resulted in this unusually delicious red, an idiosyncratic blend of Zinfandel and old-vine Syrah, with dashes of Petite Sirah and Malbec.
SMELL IT
Ripe red and black berry scents tinged with freshground pepper.
|
TASTE IT
Strawberry and blackberry fruit, peppery spice and supple tannins.
|
SERVE IT
Cellar temperature—the bottle should be cool to the touch.
|
|
