“Get out the crane, construction time again.” – Martin L. Gore, 1983

Ops! Assemble for The Crane Assembly!!!

Starting with a sizable albeit finite lot of EL COCO. Dave Phinney is back. If you like them big, rich, heady and unapologetically bold it doesn’t get any better.

Forget the Prisoner. This stuff? More like a dungeon master, making the Prisoner look like a forgotten NPC.

And the price? Disassembled. Broken down from its usual $80-100 range. Finding El Coco at $49 is akin to sitting with celebrities at a national sporting event with a last-minute invite.

El Coco is basically the resurrection of an ancient (circa 1885) field blend vineyard planted by Dr. George Beldon Crane just south of St. Helena. It’s the next level. With 100% G.B. Crane Vineyard fruit, how can it not be?

These old (ancient?), head-trained vines make a wine as decadent as they come. This is the next permutation of Phinney’s rule-breaking blends. If The Prisoner was like discovering trigonometry, this is like unraveling the Riemann Hypothesis.

The label hints at what’s inside - a haunting and dark concoction. Roughly it’s equal parts Zin and Petite Sirah, all dialed to 11, with a VOLUPTUOUS character. Compared to other reds in The Crane Assembly lineup, this leans more into the black and blue fruit spectrum, with super-ripe boysenberry, black plums, blueberry jam, black cherry, and dusty cocoa. A vein of minerality runs through, with smoked meats and incense trailing in the wake. It leaves a mouthcoating finish that lasts until the next sip… or gulp.

There’s not much else like it, and it’s gone when gone.

93 Points – Wine Advocate “A blend of 53% Zinfandel and 47% Petite Sirah aged 15 months in 70% new French oak, the 2022 El Coco Red Wine G.B. Crane Vineyard delivers mixed berries on the nose—raspberries and blackberries, maybe some blueberries as well as faintly briary notes. It’s full-bodied, supple, creamy textured and plush, with a long, mouthwatering finish. Fun stuff to drink young for its exuberant fruit. Drink 2025-2030.”

93 Points – Decanter “A true field blend, this wine is composed of 55% old-vine Zinfandel and 45% Petit Verdot. It boasts a lavish and wonderfully rich nose, brimming with dark cocoa powder minerality, raspberry preserves, dark cherry, and plum fruit. Juicy and opulent on the palate, it carries through to a long, brown-spiced finish with gentle, well-integrated tannins. Take note of the exceptional varieties planted in this iconic vineyard area, just a stone’s throw from Beckstoffer Dr. Crane and Salvestrin. Aged for 14 months in 60% new French oak. Drink 2025-2035.”