We LOVE our heady Zinfandel around here. So when we tasted this stunningly rich and complex stuff from THE Peter Franus, we hustled hard to make a deal. And so today marks only the second time in our 10+ year history that we’ve featured a wine made by the legendary winemaker. At 40% off, naturally, you must be MAD to pass it up.

As “one of California’s finest blenders and winemakers” according to Robert Parker, Pater Franus has “the Midas touch when it comes to Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.”

We got quotes on quotes on quotes about Peter Franus. Lauded as one of the “great insider secrets in the wine industry”, Parker further notes “for the quality of the wines that consistently emerge from Franus, this winery remains unheralded.”

But among those who know, the secret has been out for decades and we’re positively bursting with pride to shout his name from the rooftops to expose his wine wizardry to the masses.

Franus seems keyed into some divine energy up on Mount Veeder. It all started back in the late 1980s, when he first gathered fruit from the famous Brandlin Vineyard. Back then he worked with Franciscan and Mt. Veeder Winery, before venturing on his own and bottling his first Zinfandel in 1991.

Peter is no doubt talented as they come, but the secret sauce comes from these 90-plus-year-old dry farmed vines plugged into the rugged volcanic soil near the top of the mountain. They crank out a deafening roar of power, with dashes of Charbono, Mourvèdre, and Carignane making for a truly complex and satisfying wine. In the glass, it’s all deep, dense, and dark with a juicy core of black fruit, some shaved dark chocolate, savory herbs, and toasty oak. Powerful, mouthcoating stuff, for sure!

No reviews or ratings on this one, and that may as well be why we have it here today at half price, while it lasts. To help give you an idea how incredible it is, James Sucking raved about the 2015 as “a juicy and fruity Zin with crushed-berry and chocolate” while Vinous rated Peter’s 2016 Brandlin Cab 95 points, deeming it “positively stellar, with terrific resonance” with “so much to offer.” So let’s just add that when side by side, we like the Zin even better.

Don’t just take our word for it. Check out these choice quotes from different reviewers on CellarTracker about this wine from Zin aficionados just like you:

• “A mouth coater that has great depth.”

• “Fantastic after opening up. lots of fruit in this and delicious.”

• “This is one of the good ones: jammy red fruits and brown sugar nose.”

• “Happy I bought extra for the cellar!”

If top-shelf Zinfandel gets you in the feels, you MUST experience this!