Mazzocco Vineyards

There are not that many wines with the Alexander Valley appellation on the label, despite the size of the AVA, its location, and how long it’s been a major source of wine grapes on the North Coast. The reason is, there are not that many wineries located within the appellation that would care to stake their identity on it. So when you see “Alexander Valley” on a wine label, it often means someone is proud of the wine and where it was grown. Mazzocco and winemaker Antoine Favero can certainly be proud of this wine from Stone Ranch, an older vineyard with mature Zin vines. Though the sugars in 2004 Zinfandel went off the charts in northern Sonoma County (this wine is 17% alcohol), good winemaking kept things reasonably in balance.

The wine smells like the vineyard’s name, with wet stone and mineral mixed into the black fruit. That minerality keeps the wine grounded in your mouth, so you can enjoy both the luscious jammy fruit and the general juiciness. The tannins are soft but also fine enough to flow, and the finish, while not as big and expansive as you might expect from so much ripeness, is true to the aromas. In short, not a fruit bomb though the specs could make you think so.

Reviewed March 21, 2007 by Thom Elkjer.