Seghesio Family Vineyards
The Seghesio winery and tasting room in Healdsburg, Sonoma County is a veritable temple of Zinfandel, with a dozen different labels of either single-vineyard wines or blends sourced from vineyards scattered around the county. The flagship wine is the Cortina Zinfandel, made from vines planted in 1972 by fourth-generation Ted Seghesio and his father Ed. The Cortina soils flank the streambed that gives Dry Creek Valley its name.
Winemaker Andy Robinson, who works with vineyard manager Ned Neumiller, calls the Cortina 2016 ‘perfection’. By that, he means it is a precise balance of acid, tamed tannins and bright red fruits that culminate in a long finish. ‘Zinfandel is best when there are three layers,’ says Robinson, referring to a grape cluster. ‘There are some underripe berries, most are perfectly ripe and a few are overripe.’ This is fairly typical of Zinfandel, especially in Dry Creek, where nights are chilly and often foggy, while days are warm or hot.
And why do they focus on 100% Zinfandel? Didn’t pioneers like the Seghesios, who founded the winery in 1895, make field blends? ‘They did, but we intentionally kept more recent plantings to pure Zin because of the quality of our fruit,’ Robinson says. ‘There’s a certain elegance that doesn’t need any other varieties in the blend.’
Seghesio Family Vineyards, Cortina Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County 2016 93
£ 39.40-£ 52.99 (2015) AG Wines, Christopher Keiller, GP Brands, The Fine Wine Co, The Wine Reserve, Vinvm, Wine Direct Sage, earth and dried herbs on the nose; then rich flavours of raspberries, cherries and blueberries. A core of acid and smooth tannins make this fun now and for several years to come. A wine that defines Dry Creek Zin. Drink 2020-2025 Alc 15.3%