One of the great zins of recent memory; a gentle giant with super fragrant and authentic zin aromas of blueberry, lavender, forest scents and mild oak sweetness. Same delicious, ripe fruit drenches the palate yet there is great balance of firm acidity and alcohol. The latter stands at a whopping 15.9% but there is so much sweet fruit that it barely registers as a heat on the finish. Very dense yet well proportioned, with excellent length. Best now to 2009. ON Classics Catalogue Spring 2003.

Opaque inky/purple color looks more like Petite Sirah than Zinfandel. Theses 95-year old vines produce 250 cases of a 15.8 % alcohol wine with gorgeously pure blackberry and raspberry fruit intermixed with graphite, pepper and earth. Full bodied, with great purity and a liquid minerality underlying all the fruit, this is prodigious stuff. Consume it over the next 5-6 years. Kudos to winemaker Mike Sullivan and proprietor Don Hartford.

The Hartford Zinfandel Hartford (Court) Vineyard (270 cases; 16.5 % alcohol) comes from 90 year old vines. One of the candidates for the Zinfandel of the vintage, it possesses aromas and flavors of cherry liqueur, blackberries, pepper, melted licorice, and tar as well as an opulent, voluptuous, full bodied, strikingly concentrated, pure style. Drink this offering over the next 5-6 years.

Deep, dark ruby color, full black cherry and plum aromas with a hint of spice; highly concentrated, very clean and full on palate , black cherry, plum flavors, complex with jus the right amount of toasty oak; great structure, mineral notes, long finish. WOW! Big style with incredibly deep fruit - this is a terrific Pinot for the cellar at an unbelievably low price!

Deep, dark ruby purple color; full black cherry and plum aromas with a hint of spice; highly concentrated, very clean and full on palate, black cherry, plum flavors, complex with just the right amount of toasty oak; great structure, mineral notes, long finish. This is a terrific Pinot for the cellar at an unbelievably low price! (Originally published in the 7/1/03 issue.)

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Hartford Vineyard Zinfandel is creamy, sensual and inviting, with terrific balance of fruit, aromatics and acidity. Bright red berry fruit and floral notes give the Hartford Vineyard Zinfandel its distinctive signatures. All of the elements come together in a racy Zinfandel loaded with class and personality,

Expressive and impressively structured, with floral cherry and blueberry aromas and refined layers of crushed stone, white pepper and sweet anise notes that build tension and power toward broad-shouldered tannins.

The 2017s From Sonoma The 2017 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is a bigger, more structured wine and, like the other Zinfandels here, is a field blend aged 10 months in 50% new oak. Beautiful notes of red plums, blueberries, sandalwood, and candied orange all flow to a medium to full-bodied red that has notable purity of fruit, a supple, sexy texture, no hard edges, and a great finish. Enjoy it over the coming decade as well.

Combines power and polish, offering a deep and complex structure along with rich and refined raspberry, loamy mineral and herbes des Provence flavors that linger on the finish.

Impressively structured, with a lively core of tannins and big but refined tannins that pair beautifully with black raspberry and loamy mineral notes and hints of spice and mint.

Woodrow Wilson was in the White House when the vineyards for this wine were first planted, as immigrant farmers, mostly Italian, were trying to replicate the hearty reds of their home country using Zinfandel, Alicante Bouschet, Petite Sirah and Carignan. About 100 years later, winemaker Jeff Stewart made this blend from lots not used in the winery's single-vineyard Zins, treating them as gently as he does Pinot Noir. Mixing whole clusters with berries, he cold-soaked and then fermented with indigenous yeast in small open-top fermentors before aging the wine for nine months in French oak.

From the producer's own backyard site, head-trained and planted a century ago, this wine is from the lowest yielding of all their sites. Earthy forest, leather saddle, fennel and a whiff of meatiness highlight a dense brightly layered wine, offering structure that is lifted in red-berry flavor with a spicy tobacco finish.

Sleek and impeccably built, with floral raspberry, mint and licorice aromas that lead to vibrant and focused blueberry and cherry flavors, accented by white pepper and bay leaf details.

Sleek and impeccably built, with floral raspberry, mint and licorice aromas that lead to vibrant and focused blueberry and cherry flavors, accented by white pepper and bay leaf details.

One of the many highlights in this range, the 2015 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard is also the most expressive of these six Zinfandels from Hartford. Bright aromatics and striking delineation are two of the signatures in this finely-sculpted, nuanced Zinfandel. Blood orange and a host of citrus notes add brightness throughout. This is a lovely showing.

A real whopper is the 2015 Zinfandel Dina’s Vineyard, which comes from vines planted over 100 years ago and tips the scales at a heart-thumping 16.3% natural alcohol. There is a touch of Alicante in the blend with Zinfandel. Notes of pen ink, graphite, licorice, creosote, lavender and pepper along with enormous quantities of blackberry and black cherry fruit soar from the glass of this thick, viscous, heavy-duty, pedal-to-the-metal Zinfandel. It is a Mediterranean-tasting wine that could pass for a Southern Rhône from France in a blind tasting. This wine should drink nicely for 8-10 years, if not longer.

The 2014 Zinfandel Jolene's Vineyard is aromatic, lifted and nuanced, with pretty earthy, savory undertones that add complexity. This is an especially gracious mid-weight Zinfandel. A host of bright red stone fruit and pomegranate notes add the closing shades of nuance.

The 2014 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard is pliant, round and deeply expressive, with darker tonalities of fruit and plenty of exuberance. Black cherry, plum, olive and savory herb overtones race across the palate as this deep, pungent Zinfandel shows off its irrepressible personality.

Like the Highwire, the 2013 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard is very much explosive and powerful, but it also has more than enough fruit and pure mid-palate density to bury the tannins. Layers of fruit build to a huge, voluptuous finish. Today, the 2013 is a baby. I imagine it will still be fabulous at age twenty, perhaps beyond.

The 2013 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard emerges from a parcel of 100 year-old head-trained vines next to Highwire. Savory herbs, flowers and distinctly red-toned fruits open up in a precise, chiseled Zinfandel long on personality. A dollop of Carignane in this parcel seems to add brightness and nuance. Polished and silky through to the finish, the 2013 Dina's is one of many highlights in this exceptional range from Hartford.

The 2009 Zinfandel Jolene's Vineyard was bottled without fining or filtration. It exhibits a deeper ruby/purple color along with abundant notes of loamy soil, boysenberries, black cherries and a garrigue-like character that is reminiscent of a southern France Rhone Valley wine. The perfumed style is in keeping with the personality of this charming, fruit-forward, fragrant vintage. Drink this medium to full-bodied, juicy, impeccably pure Zinfandel over the next 7-8 years. One of the top Zinfandel specialists in California is Don Hartford at Jess Jackson's Hartford winery. They also produce an impressive portfolio of Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays under the Hartford Court label. These five Zinfandels all come from dry-farmed, low-yielding, old vine Russian River sites.

Inky purple. Highly perfumed aromas of raspberry, cherry, Asian spices and potpourri, with a note of cracked pepper in the background. Juicy, precise and palate-staining, with impressively deep red fruit liqueur flavors giving way to darker fruits with air. Rich but surprisingly light on its feet, finishing with excellent clarity and persistence. These vines are reportedly 96 years old.

From another iconic site for Hartford, the dense ruby/purple-colored 2009 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard (a 94-year old vineyard) exhibits beautiful boysenberry, blueberry and blackberry fruit along with a flinty, graphite, earthy character. This full-bodied effort is a brilliant example of both the vintage and the varietal. It should drink well for 5-7 years. One of the top Zinfandel specialists in California is Don Hartford at Jess Jackson's Hartford winery. They also produce an impressive portfolio of Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays under the Hartford Court label. These five Zinfandels all come from dry-farmed, low-yielding, old vine Russian River sites.

A reference point offering, the 2008 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard exhibits abundant aromas of blackberries, cassis, sweet cherries, and earth as well as blockbuster flavors. Rich and full-bodied with oodles of fruit, a layered texture, a velvety style, and a luscious, concentrated finish, this superb Zinfandel should age nicely for 5-7 years. However, it is impossible to resist at present because of its seductive power and richness. …proprietors Don and Jennifer Hartford not only produce superb Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, but also some of the finest Zinfandels made in northern California.

From even older vines (102 years), the 2008 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard boasts abundant aromas (black raspberries, blackberries, spring flowers, spice) reminiscent of a top-notch Pomerol. Silky-textured and full-bodied with a superb texture and a long finish, this is another exquisite Zinfandel to consume over the next 5-7 years.. …proprietors Don and Jennifer Hartford not only produce superb Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, but also some of the finest Zinfandels made in northern California.