2021 Lucca's Reserve Zinfandel

Tasting Notes: 

They spent millions of dollars preparing and planting a collection of vineyards in Sonoma County, and then they asked everyone to sign an NDA. "You can't put the name on the label," they told us. Why? No response. Cut a check, get the grapes, and make the wine. Say no more. Hush hush, say no more. Well, was it worth it? We think so. Brambly berry fruit so ripe, and dark chocolate notes so rich it would make Willy Wonka swoon with envy. Bright, juicy, bold and spicy with satiny soft tannins and nothing but generosity.

Appellation Notes: Sonoma County

OMG! Here’s the thing you need to know about Sonoma County: While it is roughly an hour north of San Francisco, encompassing a vast area of crazy mixed-up soils amidst valleys, hills, and coastal plains, Sonoma County is NOT an AVA itself. Sorry. However, it contains…(drum roll)....19 AVAs within its boundaries! Spanning 76 miles of the California coast from Annapolis and Cloverdale in the north to Petaluma, Sonoma, and Carneros in the south, the region is home to more than 425 wineries, according to the internet. We did not attempt to count them. We enjoy the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines from here, as well as more structured and sophisticated Cabernet Sauvignon wines (they don’t shout as loudly as Cabernet from neighboring Napa County), and also Zinfandel, Merlot, and Syrah. The region's unique terroir is insanely complicated. If you want to know more about the soils and climate, we suggest you enroll in classes at U.C. Davis. Wikipedia entries are not to be trusted.