We have an new holiday in Sonoma – Ravenswood Day every September 11.
Hundreds of Zinfandel fanatics flocked to the raven-themed winery on Gehricke Road on Sunday to celebrate the winery’s 40th anniversary.
Sonoma Mayor Laura Gallian presented Joel “Godfather of Zin” Peterson with a proclamation hereby declaring September 11th Ravenswood Day. It recognizes the impact Peterson and Ravenswood has had on preserving old vine Zin, producing influential research regarding the varietal, and producing landmark Zins that put Sonoma County on the map for producing the best on earth.
Oh, and for not making wimpy wines.
Guests enjoyed live music, BBQ, cake, and big pours of Ravenswood’s world-class Single Designate Vineyard Zins, which are produced using grapes from estate vineyards throughout Sonoma County.
Wine highlights ncluded the ’14 Barricia Vineyard Zin. Barricia is located just north of Sonoma at Madrone and Arnold Dr. The wine has a beautiful ruby color and a kick of black fruit, Bing cherry, and white pepper. With 21% Petite Sirah blended in, it has hearty tannins, which makes it cellar friendly – crack it open in 10 years for a gem.
Another star was the ’14 Belloni Vineyard from Russian River. It was a killer right out of the bottle with that classic Zin perfumey nose, incredible fruit that represents the varietal perfectly. Old vines from 1900s – drink now or in five years. It goes down smooth and a little too fast.
Don’t forget the limited edition 40th anniversary wine – it’s a Zin blend of single designate grapes. The wine was created by Peterson and Gary Sitton, who now serves as Director of Winemaking at Ravenswood. It’s available at the tasting room in extremely limited production, and worth the price of a magnum for the scrumptious, not wimpy in the least blend. ravenswoodwinery.com
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