Chapter I · The Pioneers · 1850s
100+ year old vineyards
Taste the vines the pioneers planted. Century-old Zinfandel, the way it was meant to be. Pour some history.
A tribute to the farmers who kept these Sierra Foothills vineyards alive for decades — some for more than a century. Elegant and layered, with blackberry, raspberry and fine-grained tannins.
The Chapter
In 1848, gold was found at Sutter’s Mill, and within a few years the Sierra Foothills were full of miners from every corner of the world. The ones who stayed learned what this land could really give: granite hillsides, hot days, cold nights — and grapes.
By the 1850s and 1860s, settlers were planting Zinfandel across these hills to supply the mining towns. Through booms and busts, Prohibition and a century of change, many of those vineyards disappeared. A few did not.
This wine is made from the ones that survived — vineyards planted as early as 1869, alongside others from the 1960s and ’70s that carry the tradition forward. It is our tribute to the farmers who kept them alive, and a taste of Zinfandel as it was before it turned sweet.
The Vineyards
1869
Original Grandpere
1910s
Esola Vineyard
1910s
Old Massoni Ranch
1970s
Di Stasio
1970s
Andis Wines Estate
In the Glass
Fruit
Blackberry, raspberry, black cherry
Texture
Layered and seamless, with fine-grained tannins
Finish
Bright acidity that keeps it fresh at the table
At the table
Smoked brisket, grilled lamb, wood-fired pizza with sausage
At a Glance
The Wine
Grapes
Zinfandel, with a touch of Barbera and Petite Sirah
Appellation
Sierra Foothills AVA
Soils
Decomposed granite and sandy loam
Elevation
1,400 – 2,200 ft
Aging
14 – 18 months in French oak
Style
Elegant and balanced — Zinfandel as it was made before it became a jammy fruit bomb
The Vintages
Open a vintage to read its notes, vineyards, scores and tech sheet.
Robust and full-bodied, with chewy tannins and well-integrated oak. Blackberry, black cherry and black plum, with chocolate, star anise and tobacco.
| Critics | 90 JD PDF ↓ |
| Blend | 95% Zinfandel, 4% Petite Sirah, 1% Barbera |
| Vineyards | Andis Wines Estate, Codevilla, Di Stasio, Esola Vineyard, Old Massoni Ranch |
| Harvest | October 4 – 24 |
| Soils | Granitic, sandy loam |
| Elevation | 1,400 – 1,800 ft |
| Fermentation | 16 days in open-top fermenters, pumped over morning and evening |
| Aging | 14 months in French oak, 25% new |
| Alcohol · pH | 14.7% · 3.66 |
| Production | 2,300 cases |
Well-balanced, layered and seamless, with fresh blackberry and raspberry, fine-grained tannins and bright acidity — an elegant red in the style of the early days, before Zinfandel became a jammy fruit bomb.
| Critics | 92 WS PDF ↓ · 92 JS PDF ↓ · 91 WE READ ↗ |
| Blend | 90% Zinfandel, 5% Barbera, 5% Petite Sirah |
| Vineyards | Andis Wines Estate, Old Massoni Ranch, Renwood Ranch, Di Stasio, Esola Vineyard |
| Harvest | September 2 – October 8 |
| Soils | Granitic, sandy loam |
| Elevation | 1,400 – 1,800 ft |
| Fermentation | 16 days in open-top fermenters, pumped over morning and evening |
| Aging | 14 months in French oak, 25% new |
| Alcohol · pH | 14.6% · 3.75 |
| Production | 2,209 cases |
Elegant, layered and seamless, offering fresh blackberry and raspberry wrapped in a bracing texture of fine-grained tannins and bright acidity.
| Critics | 93 TP PDF ↓ · 90 WE PDF ↓ · 90 WS PDF ↓ |
| Blend | 95% Zinfandel, 5% Barbera |
| Vineyards | Andis Wines Estate, Di Stasio, Fox Creek, Esola Vineyard, Shake Ridge |
| Harvest | September 4 – October 5 |
| Soils | Decomposed granite, sandy loam |
| Elevation | 1,500 – 1,800 ft |
| Fermentation | Temperature-controlled steel tanks |
| Aging | 14 months in French oak, 15% new |
| Alcohol · pH | 14.7% · 3.52 |
| Production | 2,000 cases |
A beautiful, elegant expression of traditional Sierra Foothills Zinfandel: fresh blackberry and raspberry, fine-grained tannins and bright acidity.
| Critics | 89 WE PDF ↓ |
| Blend | 93% Zinfandel, 7% Barbera |
| Vineyards | Andis Wines Estate, Di Stasio, Fox Creek, Original Grandpere, Shake Ridge |
| Harvest | September 11 – October 15 |
| Soils | Decomposed granite, sandy loam |
| Elevation | 1,505 – 2,200 ft |
| Fermentation | Temperature-controlled steel tanks |
| Aging | 16 months in French oak, 20% new |
| Alcohol · pH | 14.7% · 3.8 |
| Production | 1,400 cases |
Layered and seamless, with fresh blackberry and raspberry and a bracing texture of fine-grained tannins — close to what was likely made here in the late 1800s.
| Critics | 91 WE PDF ↓ · 90 JD PDF ↓ |
| Blend | 95% Zinfandel, 5% Barbera |
| Vineyards | Andis Wines Estate, Indian Creek, Di Stasio, Fox Creek, Zanini |
| Harvest | September 16, 19, 23 & October 10 |
| Soils | Decomposed granite, sandy loam |
| Fermentation | Temperature-controlled steel tanks |
| Aging | 18 months in French oak, 15% new |
| Alcohol · pH | 15.1% · 3.8 |
| Production | 1,200 cases |
Sourced from diverse Sierra Foothills vineyards to echo the Zinfandel made here in the late 1800s.
| Critics | 92 WE PDF ↓ · 92 TP PDF ↓ |
| Blend | 80% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah, 10% Barbera |
| Vineyards | Andis Wines Estate, Indian Creek, Di Stasio, Grandpere, Tanner |
| Harvest | September 18, 24, 28 & October 19, 25, 28 |
| Soils | Decomposed granite, sandy loam |
| Fermentation | Temperature-controlled steel tanks |
| Aging | 30% new French oak, 70% neutral barrels |
| Alcohol · pH | 15.5% · 3.53 |
| Production | 1,200 cases |
The first chapter: Zinfandel from diverse Amador County vineyards, made to echo the wines of the late 1800s.
| Critics | 92 TP PDF ↓ · 90 W&S PDF ↓ · 90 WE · 89 WE |
| Blend | 90% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah, 5% Barbera |
| Vineyards | Andis Wines Estate, Indian Creek, Di Stasio, Tanner, Hannah |
| Harvest | September 4, 18, 28 & October 16 |
| Soils | Decomposed granite, sandy loam |
| Fermentation | Steel tanks |
| Aging | 50% new French oak, 50% neutral barrels |
| Alcohol · pH | 15.0% · 3.75 |
| Production | 800 cases |
In the Press
93 Tasting Panel 2021 vintage 92 Wine Spectator 2022 vintage 92 James Suckling 2022 vintage 92 Wine Enthusiast 2018 vintage 92 Tasting Panel 2018 vintage 92 Tasting Panel 2017 vintage 91 Wine Enthusiast 2022 vintage 91 Wine Enthusiast 2019 vintage 90 Jeb Dunnuck 2023 vintage 90 Wine Enthusiast 2021 vintage 90 Wine Spectator 2021 vintage 90 Jeb Dunnuck 2019 vintage 90 Wine Enthusiast 2017 vintage 90 Wine & Spirits 2017 vintage 89 Wine Enthusiast 2020 vintage 89 Wine Enthusiast 2017 vintage
Letters from the Foothills
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