Top 10 Zinfandels Tasted in 2022

It is the time of the year where every wine blogger publishes their lists of Wines of the Year or Values of the Year, etc. Although I try to blog about all the wines I taste it is clear that Zinfandel is definitely my grape of choice. The link for each wine will take you to the detailed Bottle Note on Zinfandel Chronicles. All of the older wines were stored in my cellar since release. A few of the wines were samples provided by the winery. Wines that received the same score are not listed in any particular order. This is the 9th version of my Top 10 Zinfandel list. Use the search function to find older lists.

The Zinfandel Chronicles Top 10 Zinfandels of 2022

1. 2020 Ridge Zinfandel Paso Robles – 96 points
2. 2020 Ridge Zinfandel Benito Dusi – 96 points
3. 2014 Carlisle Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard – 95 points
4. 2014 Williams Selyem Zinfandel Papera Vineyard – 95 points
5. 2015 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard – 95 points
6. 2019 Hartford Family Winery Zinfandel Old Vine Russian River Valley – 95 points
7. 2015 Carlisle Zinfandel Papera Ranch – 95 points
8. 2014 Williams Selyem Zinfandel Bacigalupi Vineyard – 95 points
9. 2018 Bucklin Ancient Field Blend Old Hill Ranch – 95 points
10. 2017 A. Rafanelli Zinfandel – 95 points

A few observations after compiling the list:

• Carlisle is the only winery represented in each list since 2014.
• The Ridge lineup from 2020 is absolutely killer.
• Monte Rosso Vineyard had wines from Carlisle and Bedrock on the list. The last appearance from Monte Rosso was on my 2018 Top 10.
• Papera Vineyard has been represented in every list since 2015 with wines from Bedrock, Carlisle and Williams Selyem.
• This is the first list without representation from Turley but the 2017 Turley Kirschenmann was in the next tier down.
• The Zinfandel program at Williams Selyem is every bit as good as the Pinot Noir program albeit on a smaller scale.

Last year’s list can be found here.

What was the best Zinfandel you opened this year?