Storybook Mountain Estate Reserve Zinfandel 2018
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Connoisseurs'
Guide -
Wine &
Spirits -
James
Suckling
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Selected from the best barrels of the vintage, this wine takes complexity and depth to another dimension. Layers of flavors and aromas, enhanced by focus and length, destine our Estate Reserves to age gracefully over many years.
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
The Zinfandels of Storybook Mountain Vineyard and, in particular, its flagship Estate Reserve bottlings, inevitably stand out from the crowd for their depth and signature sense of claret-like sophistication rather than big, flashy fruit and unctuous richness, and the 2018 edition meets every expectation in doing just that. Though many would argue that Zinfandel generally reaches its best in four or five years, this is a wine to tuck away for a relatively lengthy stay in the cellar rather one made with hasty drinking in mind. It is not that it is anything other than impressive right now, but a full decade of patience is bound to make a very good thing even better.
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Wine & Spirits
This wine’s bright fragrance carries a zesty cranberry highlight over the savory structure that grounds the fruit. This is a clean vintage of Estate Reserve, firm in its bitterchocolate depths of flavor. Designed to cellar, this will show its elegance at ten years of age.
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James Suckling
Aromas of dark berries, plums, rose petals and hazelnuts. Full body. Juicy and vivid with tension and bright acidity. Linear tannins.
Other Vintages
2019-
Wine &
Spirits
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Wine &
Spirits -
Robert
Parker
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Connoisseurs'
Guide
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Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Spectator
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Connoisseurs'
Guide
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Connoisseurs'
Guide -
Wine &
Spirits -
Robert
Parker
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Wine &
Spirits -
Connoisseurs'
Guide
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Wine &
Spirits -
Connoisseurs'
Guide
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.