2022 Dry Creek Vineyards - Zinfandel Heritage Vines (750ml)

Dry Creek Vineyard was founded in 1972 by David Stare, the first new winery built in Dry Creek Valley after Prohibition, in a region whose reputation was built on Zinfandel grown from vines that predate the wineries around them. The family business remains privately held, now guided by Stare's daughter Kim Stare Wallace and her husband Don, who farm roughly 185 acres under a strict sustainability program. Zinfandel has always been central to that identity, and Heritage Vines was created specifically to keep the valley's oldest genetic material alive in the bottle.

To make it, the winery took cuttings from a pre-Prohibition vineyard and grafted them onto phylloxera resistant rootstock, then spent several years screening and propagating virus-free vines before a usable crop emerged. The 2022 blend leans on that old vine character, combining 81 percent Zinfandel with 18 percent Petite Sirah and a small dash of Carignane, all farmed sustainably across the estate's Dry Creek Valley vineyards.

The wine opens with black cherry, plum, and ripe blueberry, layered with pepper, baking spice, and cocoa powder. On the palate, cranberry and blackberry pie flavors meet espresso, fine leather, and cedar through a lively, well structured finish. Serve it with spice-rubbed brisket, hard salami, or a slice of dark chocolate cake.