Ravenswood was founded in 1976 by Joel Peterson. The winery is a pioneer in producing single vineyard Zinfandels from some of Napa and Sonoma’s most treasured vineyards, including Dickerson, Old Hill, Cooke and Belloni. I used to visit Ravenswood in the summer, when they released their single vineyard wines. Back in the day they also served delicious barbecue on the deck out behind the winery. Great wine, great food and great memories.
Ravenswood was sold earlier this year by Constellation to Gallo and the iconic Sonoma tasting room was shut down. The future of the brand is in question at this moment. I blogged about this recently in The End of an Era with the Closure of the Ravenswood Tasting Room.
Bright crimson in color. 14.5% ABV. Pretty nose of jammy red fruits, lavender and pepper. Medium body with ample acidity. Light, supple and super easy to drink. Raspberry, salmonberry, tart cherry and pepper on the palate. Medium length on the finish. For the $15 price of admission, Ravenswood does an admirable job with this appellation Zinfandel, although I do recall liking previous versions slightly better. A solid effort, regardless. Drink over the next 1-2 years.
My rating: 87 points.
Ravenswood is widely available at retail and via their web site. I’ve no idea of what will become of Ravenswood in future years so I will buy the wines when a deal presents itself.