Zaca Mesa Winery - Our Wines

Growing Season and Harvest
The 2006 growing season started a month late after an unusually cold March. Spring and summer were relatively mild with our average highs in the upper 80’s. In early October, we had an afternoon down pour which increased our anxiety since the grapes were still hanging. Thankfully, it was quickly followed by warm, dry weather which allowed the grapes to ripen fully. Harvest came and went quickly, albeit a month late, yielding rich reds and bright whites.

Winemaking
This unique blend is inspired by the Chateauneuf-de-Pape’s where they have been blending these wines together for centuries to create wines that are greater than the sum of their parts. After hand harvesting, the grapes were gently de-stemmed, fermented and barrel aged separately for seven months, and then combined and aged for an additional nine months in French oak barrels.

The Wine
Each grape adds its own nuance: Grenache adds rich raspberry flavors; Mourvèdre brings notes of blueberry; Syrah, flavors of blackberry and ripe tannins and a touch of Cinsaut’s dusty berry notes. These layers of flavor enable this wine to pair with a wide variety of foods from mushroom pizza to rosemary crusted leg of lamb. You can enjoy this wine now or cellar for the next five to seven years.

"Highly recommended" 89 Points, California Grapevine, August-September 2009

"The 2006 Z Cuvee (a blend of 59% Grenache, 23% Mourvedre, 15% Syrah and the rest Cinsault) is a deep ruby-colored beauty exhibiting plenty of raspberry and jammy strawberry notes, with some blacker fruits, pepper, and roasted herbs also making an appearance. The wine is round, generous, spicy, and a very good California interpretation of a serious Cotes du Rhone from France. Drink it over the next 1-3 years." 88 Points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, August 2009.

"Top Value 2008" Wine Spectator, Jan 31-Feb 28, 2009

"Fresh and lively, this is medium-bodied, with snappy wild berry and raspberry flavors shaded by spicy, peppery notes. Ends with supple, elegant, easy-drinking tannins. Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah. Drink now through 2012. -- J.L." 88 Points, Wine Spectator, December 31, 2008.

"A Chateauneuf-style blend, based on Grenache, that's clean fresh and savory. It shows cherry, currant, anise and herb flavors that are wrapped into a soft tecture. Oak adds a pleasant, subtle note of smoke." 88 points, Wine Enthusiast, November 15, 2008

"Dark red. Raspberry and blackberry aromas are a touch jammy and straightforward but offer immediate appeal. Fleshy and sweet, with deep red fruit preserve flavors, no apparent tannins and good palate coverage. Not exactly complex but free of rough edges and packed with sweet fruit. Finishes with very good cling." 88 Points, International Wine Cellar, November/December 2008

"Over the years this Rhone blend, based on Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah, has been an excellent value, and the '05 is one of the best yet. Rich and soft, it's packed with opulent cherry and blackberry pie filling, cassis, red currant, licorice, pepper and smoke flavors, with a creamy, chocolaty taste throughout. Yet the wines is totally dry and balanced." 91 points, Editors' Choice, Wine Enthusiast, October 2008.

"My favorite is the 2005 Z Cuvee, a blend of Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah. Medium dark ruby-colored with an elegant bouquet of sweet berry fruit, loamy soil, pepper, and garrigue, this medium-bodied, fruity effort is best consumed over the next 2-3 years." 87 Points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, June 30, 2008.