“One of the best wines to pair with summer dishes, this super food-friendly the 2018 Dashe Cellars Zinfandel Les Enfants Terribles has enough acid to cut through the richness of fried or grilled food, with a peppery spice and silky juiciness that’s delightful at the table or before the meal.” – Sunset

So, is this the Summer of Zin or the Zin of the summer?!

This is the one - and our Facebook group Ops already know it:

“Not what I would have expected from a zinfandel, but definitely a very nice wine” “Opened this Dashe Zin tonight. Very nice, some sweetness and very smooth for a young Zin. Glad I bought more than 1 bottle.” “Same experience, but while quite soft without the typical Zin punch, it was a lovely wine!”

This sub-$20 Zin deal (with 92 points!) is back and ready for new adopters.

This bright, piquant, Pinot-esque one comes from the husband-and-wife team behind Dashe Cellars, one of our most popular masters of Zin. They draw on a wealth of experience, having worked at some of the world’s most renowned wineries: Lafite-Rothschild and La Dominique in Bordeaux, Cloudy Bay in New Zealand, Schramsberg, Far Niente, Ridge Vineyards, and Chappellet stateside. Today, Michael & Anne mostly focus on vineyard-designate expressions such as this.

The grapes come from Signal Ridge Vineyard, the highest elevation in Mendocino at 3,000 feet, a source you may recall from other hip producers such as Lussier, Kutch, or Baxter. And Mendocino Ridge is the only appellation in the country designated on the sole basis of altitude. Modeled after the Grand Cru wines of the Beaujolais region, this is all about freshness and bright acidity, which explains why it remains practically unchanged seven years later. Light red in color, medium-bodied, and only spending about five months in large oak foudres, it’s the PERFECT accompaniment with so many dinners.

This stuff is brimming with bright red raspberry and pomegranate, gently spiced red plums, tart cranberry, and wet river stones with a sprinkling of savory spices. As Jimmy G of Wine Enthusiast notes, it’s “ripe, but not over-ripe”. Nailed it. Honest, well-made, superbly priced Zin like this makes us happy, and it will make you smile too. Imagine a Grand Cru Beaujolais, but make it Zinfandel, and drop a little California sunshine in there, and you’ll be on the right track. Make sure you give it a good chill before taking it out to the heartwarming great outdoors.

Surely if you are familiar with the magic of Dashe, you already know what’s up. Even if not yet, do round out your locker with a bottle or ten of this while it’s still around, and you will thank us later.

92 Points – Wine Enthusiast “This appetizing and well-balanced wine offers fresh, fragrant fruit flavors of blackberry jam and black figs accented by earthy, peppery notes, on a medium to full body. It’s good and ripe but not over-ripe.”