Sky Vineyards, Zinfandel Late Harvest, Mt. Veeder

We had this opened over three days and it kept gaining complexity each day. I never “got” Sky until this wine. Absolutely wonderful mountain Zin with restraint but wanting to give you a fantastic palate experience.

2014 vintage

Much better than the last bottle I opened. Popped and poured into Grassl 1855s and drinking well from the get-go. Licorice note on the nose that draws you in, and a soy-inflected tart fruit palate. To me, these wines always feel a little wild, untamed. And that gives them their charm.

2014 vintage

Crimson in color. 14% ABV. Savory nose of black fruits, anise, leather and white pepper. Medium body with perfect acidity. Rustic, Claret style Zinfandel. Blackberry, black cherry, plums and pepper on the palate. Nice length on the finish. Gorgeous mountain grown Zinfandel from a prized vineyard that is aging beautifully. Best over the next several years.

2014 vintage

This bottle was not too happy to be opened. With a few hours of air, it started to show better, but overall the wine seemed to be in a somewhat grumpy stage.

2014 vintage

14.0% abv. My contribution to a family blind Zinfandel tasting. 5 other bottles were in the tasting. Really an outlier among 5 other Zins, with very high tartness and lean body. I don't know, this is really under ripe and has no charm at all. Nobody enjoyed this at all, including me. I like balance in reds, and this one is very imbalanced toward the acidic side. I appreciate the style, but this is too extreme for me.

2014 vintage

Crimson in color. 14% ABV. Sensational nose of black fruits, anise and cocoa. Medium body with medium acidity. Claret style Zinfandel with prominent fruits. The wine took about thirty minutes to open up. Black cherry, blackberry, earth and pepper on the palate. Nice length on the finish. The Sky Vineyards Zins reward cellaring but I am inclined to drink this one over the next several years.

2014 vintage

What a fascinating wine, and one that’s not your typical overblown Zinfandel fruit bomb. Not at all. This is what Zinfandel would taste like if it were grown in , and made in the traditional style of, Bordeaux. Very youthful appearing; completely translucent with a watery rim. The nose is complex and evolves rapidly. At first, there was a bit of VA, high end aged balsamic vinegar, then opened up into sour cherry, red plum, spearmint, and for a time, …

2014 vintage

Day 1 - Nose is integrated combination of both fresh and matured - blackberry, black raspberry, red plum, black pepper, highly floral (violet and plum flower), subtle oak, with additional complexity of balsamic vinegar. In the mouth, medium++ plummy acidity, medium+ smooth and high concentration tannin (like high threadcount cotton sheet). Medeum+ length but consistently intense finish. Overall, very old world (reminds of blaufrankish or ripe matured cab franc again). 2013 vintage was still tight when I opened 2 years …

2014 vintage

Interesting for sure, and as others have noted, not your modern Zinfandel jam jar. Plum and cherry are there for sure, but kept well in check by tannin and acidity that were still too assertive for me after one hour decant. More friendly at hour two. Charcoal and wood, and there is a definite Cab Franc-like vegetal theme and bramble that makes this an interesting enigma.

2014 vintage

On day one (pop and poured), the nose is already open for business. Cedar/eucalyptus, redwood bark, plum, lingonberry. On the palate, there's crazy high tannin, medium plus acid. Lots of structure here. There's also some sour cherry, some of the cedar/redwood, but it's not as complex as the nose. There's not enough body/fruit intensity to back up the structure. On day two, the nose is a little darker, more serious. It's still heavy on the eucalyptus/redwood/cedar. But the fruit is …

2014 vintage

2014 Sky Vineyards Zinfandel Mt. Veeder: Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley, CA: Opened and poured first glasses about an hour before diving in. A lovely medium ruby in the glass that has some purple flashes as you swirl. Immediately providing a warm cherry pie aroma with other rustic red fruits, raspberry and plum. On the palate the cherry dominance continued through the first glass with a tarter finish than the perceived sweetness on the nose would lead you to expect. The …

2014 vintage

On pop and pour, the nose was ridiculous — an inviting mix of brambly red fruits. The palate was not so inviting at first — tannic and tart — but opened up with some time in the glass to reveal more red fruit and pepper, though the overall structure of the wine stuck around. I think a decant would be wiser here, but not sure I could resist…

2014 vintage

PNP. Now this is a good zin, made in an old world, restrained style, not jammy or alcoholic at all. Nice floral aromatics, bright red fruit, some bramble a hint of pepper. Fresh acid structure, tart towards the end, tannins slightly chewy. Drinks almost like a classic claret. Nice wine, great value.

2014 vintage

If you are interested in a refined Zinfandel made in a classic style this is a fantastic wine. I’ve enjoyed great examples of Zinfandel from time to time I’ve tended to avoid it over the last couple years, finding most examples overripe, and with the fruit and alcohol way out of balance. This wine comes in at 14% alcohol (as opposed to the increasing norm of 15-17) and pours a medium ruby. It’s immediately obvious from the color and bouquet …

2014 vintage

A snappy aroma, with a nice dark berry bold finish. We paired this with beef and bean chili. Cheers

2014 vintage

Nose of sappy fir tree with hints of orange peel and some purple fruit hiding underneath. Earthy cherry and cranberry fruit with a rush of acidity that races across wet stones and watermelon candy flavors. Finish starts with sour cherry then echoes the watermelon candy with a light mineral note. Far out!

2014 vintage

This has all the makings of a great Zin in the restrained, untypical style. Bright fruits, nice tannins and a great acid end. Light on it's feet. Unfortunately, my bottle had a lot of barnyard that stayed with it, obscuring what you could tell was a great wine underneath it. Too much to ignore, unfortunately. Hopefully just a batch.

2014 vintage

Bright red to purple. Berry nose, black raspberry. Palate is red and black raspberry and licorice. The body is medium weight, with steely tannin and a lightning bolt of acidity... surprising for a Zinfandel. Not sure if I would recommend this wine. It tastes ripe and yummy but it feels unripe.

2014 vintage

PnP. Day 1: No detailed notes, just "Super rustic and funky." Day 2: Crazy nose of sandalwood incense, cinnamon, roses, and cherry compote. Dry red cherry, cranberry, and more sandalwood. There was some vegetal / green pepper notes on day 1 that seem to have faded. Crisp, acidic finish with sour cherries, brush, grilled shishito pepper notes, floating into sour citrus and cooked peach, with more spice. This is the weirdest wine we can remember since we visited the Kaz …

2014 vintage

Pretty light for a Zinfandel with some floral notes.

2014 vintage

Candied cherry and raspberry with white pepper and red pepper notes. Bright palate loaded with cherry, cranberry, and ripe fruits with loads of acid, finishing with medium tannins, clay, and a soft, loamy style. A very different take on Zinfandel.

2014 vintage

14.0% abv. Interesting takes on this Zin and I have to say that it deserves to be controversial. This showed bright, slightly tart red fruit with relatively low ripeness. Fairly light-bodied but deceptive depth that needs your attention to really get. Flavor profile is indeed claret-like and bears little resemblance to its more fruit-forward brethren like Turley or Carlisle Zins. Very little oak influence. I appreciate the style and enjoyed this, but I was left a little wanting. I think …

2014 vintage

Decanted 2 hours. Musky flower aromas I typically think of as stem inclusion. Bright fruit frontal attack- a combination of Andersen Valley-esque creaminess and crunchy acidity with some dusty tannin to keep it in harmony and give it length. Delicious. Much more my jam than the 2013 version.

2014 vintage

Crimson in color. 14% ABV. Sublime nose of jammy red and black fruits, licorice and pepper. Full bodied with mouth watering acidity. Big and jammy but still somewhat rustic. Somehow this Zinfandel threads the needle between modern and Claret in style. Blackberry, black cherry, earth and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Delicious, mountain grown Zin that has the structure and concentration to age well. Best over the next 3-5 years.

2014 vintage

First bottle the cork fell apart and nose was entirely acetate, with a muted palate. Second bottle was bang on: just slight acetate on the nose alongside spice and bramble fruit. Palate shows tart blackberry, spiced red fruit, hints of fresh cut grass, volcanic rock. Wonderfully gritty and mouth coating tannins. Strong acidic backbone. Did not investigate the winemaking style, but not difficult to guess low intervention and it works. Just slightly backwards and short today, suspect it needs 2-3 …

2014 vintage

LEATHER, BLACKBERRIES, AND MINT AROMA. BLACKBERRY TASTE. MEDIUM FINISH AND DEFINITE LEGS. VERY PLEASANT FOOD WINE

1985 vintage

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Sky Vineyards, Zinfandel Late Harvest, Mt. Veeder

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