Alexander Valley Vineyards and the Wetzel family have a long history with Zinfandel. The legacy began with Sin Zin in 1978 when Hank produced our first vintage of Alexander Valley Zinfandel for friends and family. We followed up with Redemption featuring Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel in 2001 and in 2004 produced a completely different style of wine using a blend of our three favorite regions of Zinfandel for Temptation. We’ve loved all three over the decades, yet we’ve always had a soft spot for the elegant, jammy and spicy fruit flavors of Zinfandel from the Alexander Valley. This sixth release celebrates that style along with our classic Alexander Valley Vineyards label.
The 2020 growing season enjoyed near-perfect growing conditions. The year began with unseasonably warm temperatures, and lower than normal rainfall. This was followed by weeks of steady daytime heat and cool evenings, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly. The wine was aged for 16 months in American oak barrels.
This wine has great color, with a dark purple and red hue. There are spicy, earthy aromas of dark fruits, black cherry, black pepper, plum, and strawberry. The 2020 Zinfandel is a spicy wine with rich earthy flavors of black and red cherry, plum, boysenberry, black pepper, apricot and chocolate. This is a Zinfandel to savor with hints of brown sugar and warm spices along with great balance and a nice clean finish.
Accolades:
2020: 92 points - James Suckling
2020: 91 points - Wine Spectator
2019: Top 100 Wine 2023 - 91 points - Wine Spectator (only Zinfandel on the list)
