Bradford Mountain Winery
2011 Grist Vineyard Zinfandel
Zinfandel •Grist Vineyard
California: Dry Creek Valley
Mission Briefing
The Best is Back
Our top-selling Zinfandel was a Bradford Mountain Winery Zin. It shattered records and had our Operatives practically begging for more. Today, dear Operative, your wait is over. We are very pleased to offer you the best Bradford Zin we have ever tasted, their single vineyard delight, the 2011 Bradford Mountain Grist Vineyard Zinfandel.
This wine is, in a word, amazing. It delivers a drinking experience that one would expect from a far pricier wine earning it our special QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) Alert.
Delicious, balanced and exciting, this budget-friendly wine is a highly recommended must buy.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Dark crimson with a translucent heart. At the edge of the glass, a fine circle of plum juice hue encircles the wine. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Intriguing and very full on the nose with lush aromas of blackberry, dark tobacco leaf, cherry, raspberry, blueberry, maple syrup, creme brulee and cranberry. |
| Taste: | Juicy and dark with blackberry, pomegranate, black cherry, tobacco, leather, cherry cordial, dark chocolate, espresso and supple leather. |
| Finish: | Very long and bursting with flavor, this wine presents concentrated fruits at the mid-palate, transitioning to bright and tart flavors at the edges. |
| Pairing: | This juicy Zin begs to be paired with a grilled marinated tri-tip steak. |
What the Winery Says
2011 Grist Vineyard Zinfandel
Harvested entirely from the oldest blocks of the Grist Vineyard this wine shows all of the power and depth you would expect from its high elevation site. Blackberry and raspberry are evident in the nose with echoing flavors and mouth-watering, juicy qualities. Concentrated, rich layers of fresh berries and dark Plum linger in the finish.
The Grist vineyard has long been known for producing wines of great concentration and depth, while still preserving the elegance on the palate that is the hallmark of Dry Creek Zinfandel. Blackberry and raspberry are evident in the nose and the fruit continues to the palate, concentrated, rich and layered in flavors. There is no doubt about the wines power, it is a monster, but one that possesses the grace of a ballet dancer. Think of it as the iron fist in the velvet glove…
- Composition
- 91% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah
- Cooperage
- 10 months in French oak barrels; 50% new
- Alcohol
- 14.7%
- pH
- 3.70
- TA
- 6.6 g/l
- Production
- 733 cases
- Suggested Retail
- $35.00
About the Winery
Bradford Mountain is the tallest of the hills making up the coastal range bordering the west side of the Dry Creek Valley in northern Sonoma County. From the top, the Pacific Ocean is a mere 15 miles to the west, and in between, there is nothing but forested hills, the home of countless deer, mountain lions, and wild pigs. Just south of the summit lies a swale that was planted to Zinfandel nearly 100 years ago and, as the site of an old gristmill, has been known as the Grist Vineyard for some years. At harvest time, the story among the vineyard workers is that they know the fruit is ripe when the indigenous picking crew (the wild pigs) arrives. Chasing the wild pigs out of the vineyard to get the real crew in is always exciting.
The Dry Creek Valley has long been known for producing zinfandels of both great elegance and power. It is here that the raspberry flavors in the variety step to the fore. Because of the climate, the vines tend to ripen evenly, producing wines with concentration but without weight. Fruit from the hills surrounding the valley offers the same palate, with the addition of greater depth of flavor and a bit more spice. There is not much land suitable for planting in this stretch of mountains, and the Grist Vineyard has long been sought for its fruit.
George Hambrecht started the Bradford Mountain label just out of college, in the late ’90s. Today the Hambrecht family continues its ownership of the vineyard land.