Decoy Napa Valley Zinfandel 2022 (California)

Description

Blueberry, Oak, Vanilla

"This is quite an approachable Zinfandel with all the classic Zin notes—blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, chocolate, fennel, violets—along with resolved tannins and a vivacious acidity. A drink-me-now wine for sure and one can happily do so with a variety of dishes any day of the week" Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Jan 2023

This tantalizing Zinfandel leaps from the glass with concentrated aromas of wild blueberry, blackberry, plum, vanilla and freshly cracked white pepper. The luxurious fruit and spice layers are echoed on the palate, where they glide across velvety tannins to a robust finish with just a hint of lingering sweetness.

Established in 1985, Decoy is recognized for producing attractively priced wines from exceptional vineyard sources, including Decoy’s own Ridgeline and Brownell estate vineyards in the Alexander Valley of Sonoma County. Decoy’s winemaking program is guided by acclaimed Winemaker Dana Epperson, who is an expert at working with multiple grape varieties across multiple regions.

Like all of our Decoy wines, our Decoy California Chardonnay benefits from the passion, skill and experience from The Duckhorn Portfolio team. Established more than 30 years ago by legendary vintners Dan and Margaret Duckhorn, our roots run deep at Decoy. From vine to bottle, we craft our wines to the highest standards, using grapes from exceptional vineyards, including from our own estate properties.

Established more than 30 years ago by legendary vintners Dan and Margaret Duckhorn, our roots run deep at Decoy. This California Zinfandel highlights a bright red-fruit and spice expression of Zinfandel. Reflecting the character of each growing season and the diversity of our vineyard sources, Decoy has established itself as a wine of distinction. From vine to bottle, we craft our wines to the highest standards, only using grapes from exceptional vineyards.

The growing season began with minimal winter rains and a mild spring. With drought conditions throughout California, we carefully tailored our vineyard practices to ensure balanced crop loads. With slightly elevated temperatures, budbreak at our North Coast vineyards was approximately two weeks ahead of the cooler Central Coast. As a result, our North Coast harvest concluded on October 15th, with our harvest on the Central Coast wrapping up on November 6th. In both regions, the berries and clusters were smaller than average, producing lower yields but deeply concentrated flavors, aromas and textures. Overall, the resulting wines are of exceptional quality, with lovely balance, excellent natural acidity and bright, juicy flavors.