Gordian Knot Winery
2011 Winberrie Vineyard RRV Old Vine Zinfandel
Zinfandel •Winberrie Vineyard
California: Sonoma County: Russian River Valley
Mission Briefing
Knot to miss
Who had the nastiest curveball? Sandy Koufax maybe. Or Nolan Ryan…maybe Kerry Wood?
Sometimes you think you know what’s coming and then whiff. Like this wine. Because man, we did not see a 9-year-old Zin bringing the heat. We expected a slow, tired, meatball down the middle with nothing on it… and then we tasted it.
Ohhoooo. Whaaaat??!
Nearly a decade of age, but SO MUCH fresh fruit. Like time just stopped. Maybe it’s the old vines (planted in 1906!!) hailing from a registered Heritage Site by the Historic Vineyard Society. Or the deft handiwork of winemaker team Tim Meinken and Anne Giere, who first put Sapphire Hill on the map before starting Gordian Knot. Whatever the case, we simply didn’t expect the striking ruby color, vibrant to the core. Or the ripe dark berries and savory herbs, all manner of black, blue and purple fruit speckled with spicy depth and a hint of woodsmoke. Rich and jammy, for sure, but not thick or syrupy. Just straight up fantastic Russian River Valley single vineyard Zinfandel doing its thing.
While historians continue to debate if Alexander the Great solved the first Gordian Knot properly or not, we did it! We’re still trying to untangle the mental pretzel this Zin spun inside our brains, and maybe that’s why we lopped a phat 60% off.
UNDER $15?! You know the drill… while it lasts.
Tasting Profile
Look: | Striking ruby color, still vibrant with no discernable signs of age |
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Smell: | Telltale old vine complexity with ripe dark berries and savory herbs |
Taste: | Black, blue, and purple fruits adorned by spicy depth and a hint of smoke |
Finish: | Long, with sweet, borderline jammy fruit and a haunting tannic grip |
Pairing: | Stews, dishes that combine meat or mushrooms with dried fruits |
What the Winery Says
- Winemaker
- Tim Meinken
- Varietals
- 100% Zinfandel
- Vineyard
- Winberrie Vineyard
- Appellation
- Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
- Alcohol
- 14.9%
- Vineyard size
- 2 acres
- Planted in
- 1906
- Aging
- 12 months
- Barrels
- 33% new French & American oak
- Production
- 3 barrels