Bradford Mountain Winery
2012 Grist Vineyard Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
Zinfandel •Grist Vineyard
California: Dry Creek Valley
Mission Briefing
Extravaganzin
Another vintage, another stunning wine - today marks the return of Bradford Mountain Winery and their exceptional Grist Vineyard Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel.
We’ve tasted three successive vintages of this wine, and the 2012 vintage might be the best one yet. Our tasting panel was over the moon for this wine, with its layers of lush dark fruit and woodsy, toasted spice. One panel member suggested pairing today’s wine with slowly smoked BBQ ribs, and Agent Red nearly leaped to find the nearest grill.
We highly recommend today’s gem from one of the best Zinfandel fruit sources in the world. Don’t miss out!
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Dark scarlet with flecks of magenta throughout the glass. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Absolutely lovely and aromatic, with reduced dark fruit notes of blackberry and sweet plum blended with berry bramble, sweet tobacco leaf, sandalwood, violet, soft herbal notes, black peppercorn, and a touch of dark baking spices. |
| Taste: | Lush flavors of braised, reduced dark fruit, highlighted by black cherry, boysenberry, and black currant. Under these fruit notes are additional flavors of fresh forest floor, cherry cola, European licorice, toasted oak spice, and lavender. |
| Finish: | On the finish, velvety tannins and silky smooth texture combine to provide an exquisitely elegant mouthfeel. |
| Pairing: | Slowly smoked pork ribs, served with your favorite (preferably homemade!) BBQ sauce. |
What the Winery Says
Harvested entirely from the oldest blocks of our Grist vineyard, this wine shows the power and elegance that you would expect from a high elevation site. Blackberry sorbet, fresh violets, and graham cracker leap from the glass at first swirl. Powerful flavors of blueberry and cinnamon spice continue to the palate. As the wine begins to open, it really hits its stride with strong floral notes and a smooth fruitful finish. Big and robust, yet soft and delicate, this wine is one that you will want to share or perhaps guard for yourself.
- Winemaker
- Virginia Marie Lambrix
- Accolades
- 91 Points - Wine Spectator (Previous Vintage)
- Appellation
- Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
- Vineyard
- Grist Vineyard
- Fruit Variety
- 88% Zinfandel, 11% Syrah, 1% Petite Sirah
- Cooperage
- 10 months in French oak, 38% new
- ABV
- 15.8%
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.