Hartford 2023 "Old Vines" Zinfandel, Russian River Valley

94 points                                     New release of Hartford's most popular Zin! 93 Points Wine Spectator:  "Brambly and vibrant yet elegantly structured, with detailed blueberry and raspberry flavors accented by mineral, sandalwood and pepper notes that build toward zesty tannins." The Hartford family’s Chardonnays and Pinot Noir have garnered quite a bit of limelight in recent vintages. Their daily Russian River Valley bottlings have received 94- and 95-point scores, with reviews that are often reserved for wines 3-4 times their prices. But now, it seems their Zinfandels are beginning to shine on their own! Hartford Family Winery began back in 1994 by Don and Jennifer Hartford. Since their inaugural release in 1996, Hartford has continued to produce wines with lots of personality and charisma. The single vineyard wines they produce range from as little as 90 to 800 cases and receive high accolades from the top wine critics. The Old Vine Zinfandel is produced from true old vines from some of California’s oldest Zinfandel Vineyards. While most of their vineyards were planted 80-100 years ago, the average vine age is well over 100 years from some of California's oldest Zinfandel vineyards. The Hartford Russian River Valley Zinfandel is a blend of old-vine, dry-farmed and low-yielding Zinfandel vineyards from the Russian River Valley. These vines offer an impressive articulation of this idiosyncratic varietal. Zinfandel grown in the Russian River Valley is distinctive with bright, natural acidity, vibrant fruit aromas and flavors which are a result of typically cool fog-laden nights and warm days. These dry-farmed vineyards, planted on low-fertility soils, consistently produce wines of exceptional density and extraction.