Elyse 2017 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley

Elyse Zin is Back! Started in 1987, with 286 cases of Zinfandel from the Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford. Since then, Elyse has blossomed into a portfolio of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirahs focused on pure expression of fruit with a sense of place. Robert Parker said about Elyse “This excellent winery continues to carve out a well-deserved reputation for its interesting red wine portfolio… [Elyse] is an under-the-radar, high quality producer.” Their focus is on single vineyards like this wine.

This is their 2017 Dry Creek Zin. One of the smallest AVAs in California, Dry Creek Valley has a winning combination of ideal geography and climate. Fertile, well-drained soils create concentrated varietal character while long, warm days, bookended by cool nights, allow grapes to reach full phenolic ripeness and balance. Grape come from the Carreras Vineyard, with its volcanic soils rich in iron. Planted in 1905, the vineyard has been dry farmed and head trained for 110 years, an amazing display of the intensity and power from these ancient Zinfandel vines.

This is 100% Zinfandel aged 16 months in 50% new French oak barrels. This 2017 shows dark crimson red in color with vibrant aromas of sweet Bing cherry, rich chocolate, red plum and a hint of cedar. The palate is complex and layered with flavors of juicy cherry-cranberry, salted anise, and white pepper with a surprising hint of minerality. This wine shows great finesse with rich yet buoyant fruit and terrific overall balance.

We managed to get our hands on a small quantity of this outstanding boutique Zin and are offering it on sale at a deep discount to our Wine Express customers. Limited!