Mission Codename Queenie Zinnie
Arling is GONE, my darling…
But Sunday is just young enough for a little Zin!
And not just ANY Zin, it’s the insanely popular Carol Shelton kind.
Why? Because:
🍷 They have quickly risen in popularity to become one of our most requested wineries lately.
🍷 We caught their inventories at rock bottom without a single wine long enough to last the day.
🍷All are too yummy to pick one over another, so we’ll be moving through them as they sell out.
With Bacchi Vineyard, Carol brings us right to the Russian River Valley, her home turf. More old vines (117 years – gulp) and more irresistible deliciousness in this RESERVE delicacy. This one is all about that showstopper red fruit core, with more cream in the texture than a soft serve. Good luck not finishing it fast once you open one. To quote Pringles, once you pop, you can’t stop!
Carol Shelton has mastered the Zen of Zin as a proclaimed Queen of the varietal. We’ve rolled out some of her Cabs before, but when we feature a Shelton Zin - (her specialty) - Operatives go BERZERK. Rightfully so! We hear you and go back to the winery to see what they have for us, it’s often nothing.
Arguably one of the greatest Zin values you’ll come across this year. The price tag you see is the lowest today, tomorrow, basically anytime it will ever be.
If you’re unfamiliar with the legacy of Carol Shelton, here’s a must-watch ZAP panel on the Queen of Zin with fellow luminaries Joel Peterson, Larry Turley, and Kent Rosenblum:
We really don’t have the space here to list all her accolades. And surely not enough of this wine to waste more time. But know this - she’s a true legend. A few noteworthy ones include The André Tchelistcheff Award in 1993, Winemaker of the Year by Press Democrat in 1999, San Francisco Chronicle in 2005, and NorthBay biz in 2022 and 2023.
“A winemaker since 1978…” expounds Wine Industry Advisor “…Shelton is well known in the industry as a maker of world-class single-vineyard Zinfandels…”
For this crazy price, a wow wine indeed. Not much remains…
93 Points – Wine Enthusiast “Smooth and creamy in texture, chocolaty and rich in flavor, this full-bodied wine is soft in vanilla, raspberry syrup and milk chocolate that give it an indulgent feel that suits spicy barbecue or after-dinner sipping. Made of grapes from vines planted in 1908.”
What the Winery Says
2020 'Bacchi' Rusian River Old Vine Reserve Zinfandel


- Winemaker
- Carol Shelton
- Varietal
- 100% Zinfandel
- Vintage
- 2020
- Alcohol
- 14.6%
- Appellation
- Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
- Vineyard
- Bacchi Vineyard
- TA
- 0.56 g/L
- pH
- 3.80
- Aging
- 16 months
- Barrels
- 33% new French oak, 17% new American oak
About the Winery
Carol Shelton





