Wine Last Sold on: October 19, 2012
Trentadue Winery
Featured Wine:
2010 La Storia Zinfandel
| Varietal: | Zinfandel |
| Region: | California: Alexander Valley |
| Avg. Price: | $30.00 |
| Wine Spies: | $22.00 |
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SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
We only showcase wines that we love. While our emphasis is on quality first, every now and again we come across a real standout wine that rises above. When we do, we issue alerts like this one.
SUPER QPR ALERT:
At today’s special Wine Spies price, this wine delivers tremendous value - and a drinking experience that exceeds expectations, easily earning it this special QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) Alert.
Mission Codename: The Rest of the Story
- Operative
- Agent Red
- Objective
- Return to Trentadue Winery in Sonoma County’s pristine Alexander Valley, secure another exclusive, limited-production, La Storia wine for our exacting Operatives.
- Mission Status
- Accomplished!
- Winemaker
- Miro Tcholakov aka “Agent KGB”
Final Assessment
After a protracted surveillance, we have returned to Trentadue Winery! This time, we’ve returned with another of their fantastic La Storia Reserve wines, their coveted 2010 Zinfandel. This wine is dark, complex and delicious. It is also a very food-friendly wine, with plenty of acidity.
Aromatically, this wine reminds us of ancient vine Zinfandel from Amador. Rich, dark aromas deliver wonderful, dark fruit, spice and minerals. On the palate, the wine is complex, plush and full of character.
Miro Tcholakov, winemaker for Trentadue, is fondly referred to around Wine Spies HQ as “Agent KGB”. We have been fans of Miro for the last five years. He just keeps getting better and better at his craft.
With the Fall and Winter holidays approaching, we can’t help but recommend this elegant, approachable wine for your holiday entertaining. At over 25% off, we’ll be stocking up our own private stash.
Tasting Profile
Dark burgundy red with a slightly opaque heart. At the edges of the glass, a medium-width band of magenta excircles the wine. Tall, chubby legs run slowly down the glass after a good swirl.
Dusky and dark, with sweet blackberry, rich black cherry, black currant and plum in the lead. These are closely followed by dark raspberry, caramel, dark wild strawberry, subtle dried meats, black pepper and a hint of exotic spice.
Initially cool and very round, this wine quickly becomes very plush and grippy, with a lovely crushed velvet feel that starts at the front palate before it slowly works its way rearward. After a few moments, the wine takes on a softly chewy feel as a slate-mineral dryness spreads from the center of the palate, eventually drying the lips and cheeks.
Bold and dark, with tart black cherry, young blackberry, tart plum and dark black currant. As the wine breathes, it opens up to reveal dark wild strawberry, spiced cherry candy, dusty bramble, dried violets, exotic dark spice, slate, black pepper and a hint of subtle sweetwood.
Very long and filled with red and black fruits that take a very long time to fully fade away. As fruits fade, the palate is left with a coating of dark spice, slate and black pepper. These take a while to completely diminish.
What the Winery Says
The ‘10 La Storia Zin was made as usual mostly from Trentadue’s Block 303 with the addition of fruit from Block 305, which is showing very well lately as the vines are maturing. Portions of the lots were co-fermented with small amounts of Petite Sirah for better color and additional blueberry aromas.
The wine is intensely flavored with predominant dark cherry, blueberry and even cranberry and less of the typical raisin aromas due to the cooler than usual season. The fine oak barrel aging brings in subtle aromas of vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and slight smokiness. The mouthfeel is bright due to the slightly higher than usual acidity but with very soft and elegant tannins that accentuate the wine’s long and juicy finish.
Cooperage
11 months in 33% new, mostly European oak barrels with few American oak barrels
Alcohol
15%
RS
0.4%
pH
3.82
TA
0.67 g/100ml
Cases Produced
2352
About the Winery
The Trentadue family arrived in Sonoma County long before their region gained a reputation as the Wine Country. Life-long, hands-on agriculturists, Evelyn and Leo Trentadue contributed significantly to the advancement of their region over the years. In 1959, the Trentadues decided to flee the developers encroaching on their apricot and cherry orchards in Sunnyvale, the area known today around the world as Silicon Valley. To preserve their way of life, these hard-working Italian ranchers purchased 208 acres of land in Sonoma County’s then remote Alexander Valley.
There was little market for the region’s dry-farmed apples, prunes, pears, and grapes in the late 1950s, so land was cheap and plentiful. Scores of ranches were for sale but, because it was blessed with an excellent combination of climate, soil, and water, Leo settled on a special piece of property in the heart of the Alexander Valley. Little did he know what this ranch had once been, much less what it was to become.
The piece of land, which is now home to Trentadue Winery, has a remarkable history. In 1868, a French botanist named Andrew Bouton established Heart’s Desire Nursery on this excellent site east of the railroad tracks. With a passion for breeding new and improved strains of fruit trees, Bouton devoted himself to plant propagation, becoming a major supplier of young tree stock to orchardists throughout the western United States. His reputation attracted the attention of a young man named Luther Burbank who visited Bouton frequently. Influenced by Bouton, Burbank conducted his own work in nearby Sebastopol and Santa Rosa.
