This one showed up in Darrell Corti's latest newsletter. He described it as a throwback to the mountain zins of the '70's, light and savory rather than inky and raisiny. I couldn't resist that, so I picked up a couple of bottles and popped one open last night. It clocks in at 13.6% alcohol and $22. From 32 year old vines in the North Yuba, originally planted for the Renaissance winery (as per Darrell's writeup).
Color is a clear, dark garnet. Earthy nose, with just a bit of red fruit coming through. Flavors follow, with "forest floor", some cinnamon-clove spice, and a hint of that red fruit. Lean, with velvety tannins that start in the midpalate and stay with you through the finish. Structurally, it reminds me more of higher elevation Cal syrah than of zin.
This is good wine that would do well with a variety of foods. When I first opened it last night, it was a little warmer than optimal. I put it in the fridge for a bit before pouring a second glass and that was a good move - this one really does best at cellar temp or maybe a touch below. Tonight, it's drinking even better after sitting overnight in the fridge. I can't tell you whether it's anything like zin from the '70's - I didn't start drinking zin until the early '80's, so you may have to wait for Tom Hill to weigh in on that. Either way, though, we could use more people making zin like this.