With 16 percent syrah, this was a bit more intense with abundant berry fruit that would stand up well to food.

2012 Edmeades Zinfandel, “Gianoli Vineyard,” Mendocino Ridge (100 percent zinfandel): deep, dark purple hue, spicy, complex flavors of black cherry jam, truffles and bittersweet chocolate, full body, big, ripe tannins; a single-vineyard wine grown on a Mendocino Ridge peak called “islands in the clouds” because it pokes up through the morning Pacific Ocean fog; a wine for hearty, spicy foods like pulled pork, barbecued chicken, spicy beef chili; $31.

Some of my favorite zinfandels are in the $15-$20 range. They taste like zinfandel rather than super-ripe berry syrup...The 2011 Edmeades Mendocino Zinfandel ($20) is bright and spicy with a hint of white pepper.

A ripe zinfandel but not over the top. Layered, with fruit flavors of blackberry, black cherry, plum and a hint of rhubarb. Briary, with an undercurrent of cracked black pepper. Nice length. A great price point for the value.

2011 Edmeades Zinfandel, Mendocino County: rich and hearty, with aromas and flavors of vanilla, red plums and spice, firm tannins; $20.

It's a bit hard-edged when it's first opened, but this full-bodied red wine quickly opens up to display vibrant flavors of blackberries, plums, herbs and chocolate and black pepper. There's a a port-like quality to this blockbuster, but it's a fully dry wine. It's pretty gripping.

Love Zinfandel? This one’s different. Edmeades Zinfandel is an iconic wine with a unique personality. It’s got the jammy, sassy, spicy slam of Zinfandel with a full-fledged orchestra backing it up — think 11 percent Syrah and 10 percent Petite Sirah! This baby can play a piano! It’s got big fruit, it’s got oak, it’s got alcohol, it’s lush. The unusual combination works — it’s a powerful, elegant blend. Aromas are “ripe cherries, blueberries, cocoa powder and graham crackers” to borrow winemaker Ben Salazar’s words. On the palate, it has breadth and texture. It’s aged 16 months in 48 percent French oak barrels and 52 percent American — 20 percent of which is new.

2010 Edmeades Zinfandel, Mendocino County (79 percent zinfandel, 11 percent syrah, 10 percent petite sirah): hint of oak, concentrated flavors of black raspberries and black coffee; $20.

This is a surefire hit to go with pork and beef, especially if there is a ketchup-based sauce. Ripe, forward blueberry and cherry flavors with hints of coffee and chocolate.

What a delightful find: clean, pure zinfandel flavors of berry, spice, a juicy entry and fairly generous finish. Slightly chilled this medium-weight red wine is superb with lighter meats, and is worth twice the price.

Generous cherry aromas abound in this zinfandel from Northern California. Brambly dark berry fruit and easy tannins. Blended with petite sirah and syrah.

Call me a throwback, but I still prefer these big zins that are so oafish to those afflicted with sensitive Euro-palates. At least when, as with this well-crafted wine from Edmeades, a high alcohol level (15.5 percent) is concealed behind gobs of fruit. This full-bodied red boasts intense flavors of blackberry, cassis and chocolate that combine to give it a Porto-like character without the sweetness. Somehow it manages to be burly and smooth at the same time. Serve it with food with the muscle to wrestle with it.

A ripe zin with notes of blackberry, plum and cracked black pepper. Zesty.

The moment I read the first sentence of Edmeades' winery philosophy, I knew I would like this Zinfandel. Mendocino is more than a geographical location, it's a state of mind. On a photography field trip from Berkeley in the summer of '71, I discovered the Mendocino state of mind...but I digress. Aromas of cherry pie, toasty crust and scents of wild herbs wafting into the dining room. Flavors of ripe cherry, smoky plum, with earthy and vanilla notes. Unfiltered, unfined, indigenous yeast fermentation. Where's my Volkswagen van, I gotta visit this place again!

From 50-year-old vineyards in the California hills comes an artisanal and very American wine. Rich, redolent of earth and smoke, baked plums and cassis, it has considerable intensity and structure and, despite the 15.5 per cent ABV, does not feel over-alcoholised.

It's not often that I recommend a wine that naturally reaches an alcohol level of 15.4% but I love this one, made from California's signature grape variety (albeit with roots far, far away) and vines that are well over 50 years old according to the back label. Mendocino was first planted with vines by Italian immigrants who simply wanted wine to drink and had no truck with fancy irrigation systems. This wine, the most basic from the Edmeades stable, is presumably a blend from the many different old vineyards from which the company produces vineyard-designated Zinfandels. Contained, dry nose. Nothing about this wine flaunts its alcohol. Well structured and very Zinfandel. Not exactly an iron hand in a velvet glove; more velvety richness inside an iron corset - and none the worse for it. Serious wine and quite a bargain for a Californian. Impressive! GV (for good value)

Juicy and jammy, with aromas and flavors of black cherry, pepper, toast and caramel. Approachable.

A smoky, earthy zin with notes of blackberry, blueberry, caramel and pepper. Ripe fruit flavors. Long finish. Elegant. Paired with Roast Duck Legs with Honey Teriyaki Sauce.

RED WINE with a huge steak, pour a full-bodied, big-flavored wine like an all-American Zinfandel. Try the berry tinged 2007 Edmeades Mendocino from California.

Nice raspberry-scented wine with berry fruit flavors and a bit of creaminess in the finish. Nor for the faint of heart.

Terrifically juicy, with energetic plum and licorice flavors and sweet vanilla oak.

Ripe and zesty, with wild berry, toasty sage and cracked pepper flavors that finish with appealingly rustic tannins.

Jess Jackson owns this California Zin specialist. Its 45-year-old vineyards yield the grapes for this polished wine with a deep raspberry essence.