It’s been 45 days since our last Zinfandel offer. And EIGHT months since we last saw Andis grace this site.

But who’s counting?

Well, we were. Because we’ve been waiting patiently for something like this: a 94-pointer from a rockstar like Philippe Melka for way under $30. We tasted our fair share of Zins, and this came in alongside some of your favorites - Wilson and Mazzocco, for example. And it was SUCH an easy choice. Seavey, Lail, Vineyard 29, Dana Estates, etc., he shares Andis’ winemaking with another key consultant, Maayan Koschitzky - of Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle fame.

Janis Akuna and her husband, Andy Friedlander, had a wide-open pick of where to settle in California to make wine. They saw the Sierra Foothills and knew it was the place, especially for historic vineyards. You must have seen Esola on a Bedrock or Ridge label before; it’s a prime example of why Andis settled in this area. Planted in 1911, Esola has been frequented by top Zin names, from Turley to The Prisoner.

Fun fact: ‘old vine’ on a label really doesn’t mean anything. Unlike many label laws, you can call a wine so even if it was planted 10 years ago. But this? It’s the definition of old – ancient even, at the tender age of 110, gnarled, head-trained vines yielding tiny power-packed berries with exceptional character.

Esola Vineyard is registered on the Historic Vineyard Society, with a quote from Bedrock’s Morgan Twain-Peterson MW, “Owned by the colorful Denise Esola, a woman who has lived enough for multiple lifetimes, this vineyard lies in the heart of Amador’s Shenandoah Valley. Her head-trained, dry-farmed Zinfandel vines are planted on granitic soils and have perhaps the smallest berries and clusters I have seen on the variety. The resulting wines are fragrant and structured expressions of the grape -among my favorite wines we make every year. The wines from the vineyard seem fitting for one run by a former dancer; they are showy, lithe, and fun!”

This is fun for sure, yet seriously impressive, too. You can get a similarly styled Zin from Dry Creek, and often it’ll be very good, but it won’t be from 1,600 feet elevation, dry farmed, 100+-year-old-vine good. From the first whiff, you know it’s built differently than your typical high-octane, ultra-extracted, boozy and oozy Zin. Insanely perfumed, like a mixed berry tart fresh out of the oven! In the glass, it’s crunchy, bright, electrified red and blue fruits radiate from the core, with cedar, sage, and wisps of pipe tobacco flowing free. A gentle 20% new French oak retains the freshness without drowning the bright purity.

This is the one you’ve been waiting for. Back up the truck!

94 Points – Cristaldi & Co. “From vines planted in 1911, in the Shenandoah Valley, building in the glass with intense strawberry and wild herb character redolent of sage or sagebrush, with black olive tapenade, very savory, coming through on the nose and plenty of hefty tannin on the palate, offering a very structured expression of this juicy strawberry and cherry fruit with more savory notes coming through on the finish. This is a Zin that calls for braised meats, burgers, hearty pastas, and salads with dried fruit.”