Easton Shenandoah Valley Zinfandel 2014
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This is the seventeenth vintage of Easton's estate-bottled Zinfandel. The wine tastes full, rich, smooth, and gutsy. It shows beautiful brambly blackberry fruit, big cedar, spice box aromas and flavors. It has a smooth creamy finish from aging in François Frères and Taransaud barrels (1/3 new).
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Dark in color and deep in heavily ripened fruit flavors, this full-bodied, concentrated wine is a show-stopper. A quiet sense of power comes from the dried plum and raisin aromas and the rich blueberry, clove and dark-chocolate flavors.
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Wine Spectator
Plump and zesty, with lively wild berry and briary black pepper flavors that persist on a long finish.
Other Vintages
2013-
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Connoisseurs'
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Easton puts his name on his non-Rhône varietals wines, those that have traditionally worked the best in Amador County and the Sierra Foothills: ancient and old-vine Zinfandel, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc. Under the Easton label he also bottles small selections of varietals new to the Sierra Foothills: Grenache Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc.
Easton makes wines that are unique and site-specific with a sense of place all of their own. He farms and runs his winery sustainably, even relying entirely on solar power for his tasting room and winemaking facilities.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.