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 several years ago 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.
Dickerson Vineyard is the last remaining old Zinfandel Vineyard on Zinfandel Lane in Oakville. It was planted by Charlie Volpi in 1920, just before prohibition.
Crimson in color. 15.1% ABV. Tremendous nose of red fruits, eucalyptus and pepper. Medium to full bodied with mouth watering acidity. Concentrated and packed with fruits. Raspberry compote, boysenberry, mint and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Really outstanding Zinfandel with that trademark Dickerson profile. Best over the next 2-3 years.
My rating: 92 points.
I’ve no idea of what will become of Ravenswood in future years so I will buy the wines when a deal presents itself like this bottle which I found on WineBid for only $25.