Ravenswood Dickerson Vineyard Zinfandel 2013
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Joel Peterson makes this wine from a vineyard on Zinfandel Lane in St. Helena. In 2013, Dickerson is a fresh, open zin, yielding generous fruit in a cascade of blackberry, strawberry and red currant flavors. The texture is soft and clean if you open it now; the tannins gain prominence as it develops with air, the structure feeling harder, the fruit less accessible. Zinfandel is often best immediately on release, or more than ten years from the vintage, and this is a wine to go short or long; forget about it in the mid-term.
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A 100% varietal wine, this offers a juiciness of red fruit that's deliciously inviting, surrounded by plenty of cinnamon and black pepper. Grippy and full bodied, it reins in its ripeness well, remaining structured and complex through a mineral-driven finish.
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Fueled initially by the inspiration and winemaking skills of Joel Peterson, aided and abetted by his business partner W. Reed Foster, Ravenswood winery has been dedicated to top quality, hand-crafted wine since the first crush in 1976. Every Ravenswood wine carries a unique vintage and vineyard identity in addition to the intense powerful – gothic – character with which the winery has come to be associated.
A key to Ravenswood’s success is their long-standing relationships with over 60 independent grape growers. Vineyards are chosen for their location, age, yield and special flavor characteristics. At Ravenswood, they are devoted to working with growers who share their philosophy about high quality.
Ravenswood Vineyard Designate wines are made employing what Joel Peterson refers to as “stubborn and impractical” Old World enological practices. Wines are fermented in small wooden tanks using wild, natural yeasts and punched down by hand three to five times per day. The wines are characterized by intense, spicy aromas supported by rich, berry flavors and long, clean finishes.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.