Pedroncelli Zinfandel Mother Clone Dry Creek Valley

See earlier note; oak and fruit more balanced

87 first night 90 second night, dark fruits, heavy oak, earthy balance, medium tannins, low acids, medium chewy finish, excellent qpr @ $16

This is a fantastic value. Dry creek valley, classic Zinfandel, with an aging program that is usually for wines that belie this price point. Good fruit, lots of oak. I think this is too young to drink, still. The wood was prominent and overtook the fruit, IMHO. I think perhaps that more time would tamp this down. Given the price point of this wine, it's a great value.

Not your typical Zin. While we normally go for big fruit forward wines, this is more subdued. Less fruit and more herbal. Hints of pepper on the nose, but vanilla and cloves on the palette. Medium Tannin with decent acidity and a quick finish. We will consider buying it again.

Medium Bodied, Blackberry and spice on the pallet with black pepper on the nose.

No one is going to get surprised by this well integrated wine. The jammy-ness is there, beautiful red hue. Something to be excited about at this price point.

Retail $20. The Pedroncelli story essentially starts and ends with the Mother Clone wine, pretty much, as this is one of the longest continually bottled wines in the Pedroncelli line-up. Dark in the glass but well short of brooding, this is probably where any exploration of Sonoma County Zin should begin. Sure, there are older vineyards, and likely more complex wines, but this is the essence of Sonoma Zin: good, on the verge of big fruit, wonderful acidity, a clandestine …

Very dry. Not a typical Zin but delicious.

Lousy. Reverse wine snob special of: Pedroncelli Mixed Reds 6 bottles. $12.49 a bottle

Big sappy juicy berry Dry Creek Zin. Always a little over the top but great for burgers.

Day 1: Poured and left in open glass for about 1 hr. Tight/closed/tannic, maybe a bit of cherry fruit at the end, but that's all. Day 2: Poured and left in open glass for about 45 min. Not quite as closed/tannic, but those qualities still dominate. The fruit profile has changed to slightly darker/bluer, but still minimal fruit. At this point, not really identifiable as Zinfandel.

Decent generic red. Disappointing especially compared to 2016 and 2017 vintages.