Hartford Family Winery was founded in 1994 as a result of Don and Jennifer Hartford’s appreciation for the wines, the people, and the unique vineyards near their Russian River Valley home. Located in the Sonoma County town of Forestville, the winery is about 15 miles from the cool Pacific Coast. Jeff Stewart is the Hartford Family Winemaker.
Magenta in color. 15.5% ABV. Sensational nose of brambly red and black fruits, anise and freshly cracked black pepper. Full bodied with exquisite acidity. Rich, plush and seamless. Raspberry liqueur, black cherries, molten licorice and pepper on palate. The finish is sweet and exceptionally long. Absolutely glorious Zinfandel. Drink over the next 4-6 years.
My rating: 95 points.
The 2014 Hartford Family Zinfandel was the Number 10 Wine of the Year in the Wine Spectator Top 100. Having tried both the ’14 and ’15 I would contend the latter is a superior wine. Fairly priced at $40 per bottle. I’ll buy more when the opportunity arises.
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Awesome note as always Tom and I agree the Hartford Old Vine zin has been on a different level lately. I was blown away by the 14 last year but haven’t tried the 15 yet. Looks like od better get my hands on some!
Thanks Rich! It is early in the year still but I think the ‘15 Hartford is a lock for my 2018 list of top 10 Zins.
Love that Tom. I’ll be snagging some soon for sure