Other American Reds

We have thousands of wines. Although we carry many national brands, that is not our focus. The following are well made and generally more interesting wines that we are proud to recommend.

Pedroncelli Mother Clone Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, 2021 ($20.99) - Like Parducci, Pedroncelli is a “legacy” California winery. It dates to 1927 and is still family-owned. The 4th generation is joining the effort, and the company is 70% woman-owned with a woman President and winemaker. Pedroncelli survived Prohibition by selling grapes to home winemakers. It then built a reputation for quality at a time when California was mostly known for cheap, bulk wine. The Mother Clone Zinfandel is a classic, a second-generation vineyard replanted in the 1980s using budwood from the oldest vines (over 100 years old now). The clone is famous throughout California, and cuttings are used by many other wineries. A small portion of the original vines still contribute fruit. They also source old vine grapes from neighboring vineyards. The vines are all head-pruned and hand-picked. After a 48-hour cold soak, the juice was fermented with daily pumpover and délestage (racking and returning the fermenting wine to the original container and solids, thus aerating the wine). It was aged for 12 months in 30% new American oak barrels. This unusually concentrated Zinfandel reflects the low yields of a dry, warm vintage. The palate features red cherry, blackberries, vanilla, licorice, and warm baking and other spice notes. It’s an interesting and delicious style. As they have done for decades, some Petite Sirah (10%) is blended in for additional color and tannins.  

Parducci True Grit Petite Sirah, Mendocino, 2021 ($21.99) - Parducci is the oldest winery in Mendocino. It started as the dream of a 16-year-old stowaway, traveling from Italy to San Francisco in 1912. The winery was hand-built without electricity by a father and four sons. The vineyard was first tilled even before the tractor was invented! The Parducci family remained involved until 1994, but now it is one of the brands produced by the Mendocino Wine Company, owned by a group of local investors headed by Paul Dolan, former president of Fetzer Vineyards. Sourced from the certified organic estate home ranch. Aged in American and Hungarian oak. The wine is somewhat rustic, but it is full of flavor with a lot going on. Wine & Spirits: 92 “It has a heady aroma of dark fruit, plum, and blueberry. Full-bodied and muscular, the palate shows ripe blackberry, boysenberry, and plum with hints of dark chocolate, vanilla, and nutmeg balancing the rich fruit and carrying through to a luxurious finish.” The wine has aging capability; library releases going back to the 2010 vintage are available at the winery!

Three Wine Company Old Vine Field Blend, Contra Costa County, 2019 ($24.59) - Matt Cline worked with his brother as winemaker and creative director (whatever that is) at Cline Cellars and later as assistant winemaker at Conn Creek. After Cline Cellars was sold, Matt started a winery called Trinitas Cellars with his wife, Erin, where he produced old-vine Zinfandel, Mataro, and Petite Sirah. He then sold Trinitas and launched Three Wine Company. We have carried several TWC Zinfandels. This is a field blend, where several varietals are grown and harvested together. It shows great intensity of black fruit with hints of strawberry. Really well done!

Chad Merlot Incline, Sonoma Mountain, 2018 ($23.99) - New Chad wines appear whenever Chad can find the right situation. He makes a low offer to a winery that has excess wine. If they agree, he offers their wine under his label at roughly half the price. If not, he moves on. This batch replaces the Red Blend (mostly Merlot) which sold slowly at first but then developed a following as customers discovered it. This wine displays rich, layered notes of cassis, subtle red fruit, eucalyptus, baking spice, and well-integrated oak. With firm but ripe tannins, it can pair beautifully with heartier fare. Very tasty and worth much more!

Barra of Mendocino Petite Sirah, Mendocino, 2020 ($24.99) - This certified organic, monster red is 100% varietal and will stand up to just about anything from roasted turkey to grilled skirt steak to a hearty ratatouille. It’s dense and dark purple, with cassis, blackberry, blueberry, a black olive note, and a hint of graphite. The alcohol is a comfortable 14.5 percent for such a big wine, and lively acidity keeps it refreshing, and even more so with just a slight chill.

Petite Sirah, not to be confused with the much more widely planted Syrah, is also known as Durif after Dr. Francois Durif, who discovered it in France’s Rhône around 1880. It was found to be a cross between Syrah and the now-almost-extinct Peloursin grape. It found a foothold in California, where it thrives, producing wines that deserve more attention. Charlie Barra established a 27-acre hillside vineyard high above the Ukiah Valley (at 925’) in the early 1960s. He planted various grapes and followed the advice of Karl Wente and Louis Martini by also planting some Petite Sirah. The wine spends 18 months in 25% new French oak (François Freres, Taransaud, and Marchive). Only 232 cases are produced. Martha Barra is the current proprietor.

Vina Robles Petite Sirah, 2020 ($24.99) and Fore Estate Blend, 2020 ($26.99) - Paso Robles-based Vina Robles was founded by Hans Nef in 1996. He and his managing partner planted vines the next year and now have several thousand acres of vines, most of which they sell to other wineries. We’ve been carrying the basic Cabernet for several years. The Petite Sirah comes from their Creston Valley and Jardine vineyards, spent 20 months in 55% new, mostly French oak (with some American and Hungarian), was bottled unfined and unfiltered, and comes in at 14.5% alcohol. It’s a robust wine with plump blackberry and plum flavors accented by caramel, vanilla bean, and espresso. It has appealing density and a spicy finish. The Fore (yes, the winery is adjacent to a gold course) Estate Blend (51% Cabernet, 40% Petite Sirah, and 9% Petit Verdot) comes from four of their vineyards and also spent 20 months in mostly French oak. It’s harmonious and balanced in a big way with flavors of dark cherries, boysenberries, and cassis.

Madman Sonoma Red, 2022 ($29.99) - David Rossi continues to experiment with small batches of red blends. The good news is that they are delicious. The bad news is that they sell out. This is David’s answer to The Prisoner. Well, not exactly. It’s better balanced and not sweet like The Prisoner! It's a distinctive blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Malbec with tiny amounts of Cab Franc and Merlot. It was aged 16 months in a mix of 35% new American and French oak. The fruit is generous & ripe. Very tasty at close to half the price of The Prisoner.

Langtry Farms Vineyard and Winery Merlot Tephra Ridge Vineyard, Guenoc Valley, 2019 ($29.99) - To go along with our November 2025 Wine of the Month, we also present this exceptional Merlot, all from estate fruit. The Tephra Ridge Vineyard lies north-east of Calistoga and is technically in south-eastern Lake County, but it is actually at the north foothill of Howell Mountain. Tephra (“ash” in Greek) is rock ejected by volcanic eruption. The steeply sloped, historic vineyard rises to 1800 feet in elevation. The Howell Mountain AVA starts at 1400’, so Tephra Ridge would carry the Howell Mountain AVA if it were just a little further south, in Napa. It has thin, gravelly loam and volcanic soil that naturally limits grape yields. This excellent Merlot (100%), is a serious wine with good depth of ripe fruit. Integrated & silky. Hand-harvested and destemmed. Aged for 24 months in a mix of French and Hungarian barrique, 40% new. 14.9% alcohol.

Âmevive Ravie (GSM), Santa Barbara, 2022 ($39.99) - (pronounced ahm-veev, translates as soulful) We love all our children, but some are so special that they stand out. This is one. The grapes come from the Ibarra-Young vineyard in Los Olives AVA. It was first planted in 1971 by Charlotte Young and her right-hand man, Miguel Ibarra. Alice and Eileen Anderson began leasing and farming the vineyard in 2020. They purchase additional grapes. This is a blend of 55% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 20% Mourvèdre. It is not your typical dark, rich, teeth-staining GSM; it is beautiful, bright, and light on its feet at only 12.8% alcohol, but it has a gorgeous structure with notes of white cherry, ripe red bramble fruit, fresh garden herbs, and granite, all balanced by refreshing acidity and framed by subtle tannins. Special! Certified Organic and Biodynamic (Demeter) as well as natural and vegan, only 318 cases were made. Only 36 cases made it to the metro NY area, and most of those went to Manhattan and Brooklyn restaurants.

Delille D2, Yakima Valley, 2020 ($45.99) - What a bargain! Delicious!! Wine Spectator: 91 “Well-framed and precise, with handsomely layered blackberry, tobacco, and black olive flavors that build tension toward medium-grained tannins. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2030. 9,800 cases made.” Wine Advocate (Anthony Mueller): 93 $55 “The 2020 D2 Proprietary Red Wine was made from 61% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. The nose is as brilliant as always, with focused, dark red fruits, hints of black cherry skin, and oak essence that sways out of the glass. Full-bodied and mineral-tensioned, the palate offers fine-grained tannins with succulent healthy fruit flavors before ending with a fresh, food-friendly finish. At these prices, buy the entire case. About 108,000 bottles were filled after the wine rested in 68% new French oak for 20 months. Bravo! 2023-35” The name D2 comes from the highway that runs through the Médoc! 

Bedrock Wine Co. Old Hill Ranch Heritage Red, Sonoma, 2020 ($65) - Vegan and certified organic. Long considered the greatest vineyard in Ravenswood’s lineup, the vineyard has only gotten better over the last nineteen years under the careful oversight of Will Bucklin and his family. One of the oldest vineyards on resistant rootstock in the world, the vines here date to the 1880s and are a field blend of over 30 varieties, including Grenache, Mataro, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Alicante, and a cabal of Alpen varieties (Persan, Mollard, Etraire de la Dui, Corbeau, etc.) that add to the always alluring aromatics. Vinous: 95 “The 2020 Old Hill Heritage Wine shows why this site is considered one of the very best in all of Sonoma. The pedigree is evident. A wine of volume, textural depth, and intensity, the 2020 is a showstopper. Black cherry, chocolate, licorice, and dark spice lend tons of complexity to this statuesque Zinfandel-based field blend. All the elements come together so beautifully. It’s hard to fully capture the Old Hill with words, as it really transcends descriptors. But when you taste it, you know. You know you are tasting a wine from a very special place.” Limited

Levendi Symphonia, Napa Valley, 2020 ($65.99) - We wrote up Levendi’s exceptional Hillside Cabernet previously. This somewhat less expensive wine is a blend of 60% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot, and 8% Malbec. Very pleasing and nicely balanced, it’s solidly ripe but not overdone, with a medium extraction of cherry, raspberry, and boysenberry flavors accented by anise and fruitcake notes. Racy, focused, and plush. It spent 9.5 months in barrels. 14.5% alcohol. Drink now or over the next 4-5 years. It’s really good! Tastings: 93 Gold Medal Exceptional $117 “Ruby black color. Aromas and flavors of red and black plum, black cherry cola, cooked strawberry, clove, earth, and flowers with a round, vibrant, dryish medium body and a warming, medium-long finish manifesting elements of chocolate-covered cherry and strawberry, plum, mocha, wet earth, and well-integrated, soft tannins and light oak. A lush, juicy, and delicious example of New World fruit balanced with Old World savory elements.”

Carlisle Zinfandel “Carlisle Vyd,” Russian River Valley 2021 ($67.99) - This is one of the last vintages of Carlisle wines. Mike and Kendall Officer have decided to “retire” for a better work/life ratio. They couldn’t find an appropriate buyer. Sad, but understandable. Making wine ain’t easy. We still have two of their earlier vintages available. This release has gotten spectacular reviews: Jeb Dunnuck: 97  “Deep red and ripe with cassis, cedar, bourbon spices, and peppercorn. Full-bodied, with both richness and an angular structure as well as silky fruit to balance it nicely, it offers notes of ripe red plum and black cherry, baking spices, mocha, and warming earth and is long on the palate. Drink 2024-2034.” Vinous: 94-96 “Another dazzling wine. Sweet red/purplish fruit, blood orange, spice, mint, rose petal, and lavender are all wonderfully alive. This pliant, racy Zinfandel-based field blend (with 13% mixed blacks) is an absolute gem. Time in the glass really allows the layers to open.” Wine Spectator: 94 “A dynamic Zin, briary but polished, featuring expressive raspberry and dark cherry flavors accented by dried sage, orange zest, and savory pepper. Ends with zesty tannins. Drink now through 2033. 753 cases made.” We have several other Carlisle bottlings.

Mt. Brave Malbec, Mt. Veeder-Napa, 2018 ($83.99) - The Mt. Brave Vineyard, once the Chateau Potelle Vineyard, was established decades ago at elevations ranging from 1,400 to 1,800 feet. While Mt. Veeder is cool, Mt. Brave sits above the fog line, with the morning sun warming the grapes each day. Soils are sparse, consisting of a gravelly loam with rocks large and small. Nutrients and minerals are scant, resulting in tiny berries with concentrated and complex flavors. The property is now owned by Jackson Family Estates. The wine has a wonderful balance of fruit, acidity, and oak. Wine Advocate (Lisa Perotti-Brown): 95 “Made from 100% Malbec, the 2018 Malbec Mt. Veeder was aged for 22 months in oak, 34% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is flamboyantly scented of baked plums, blackberry compote, and blueberry coulis with wafts of baking spices and dried Provence herbs. Full-bodied and packed with concentrated black and blue fruits supported by firm, grainy tannins, going long, lively, and with a spicy kick on the finish. Drink 2022-38”  Very limited.