The 2017s From Sonoma The appellation 2017 Zinfandel Russian River Valley is terrific and certainly well worth seeking out. It’s also a great value. Notes of blueberries, sandalwood, peppery spice, and violet notes all flow to a medium to full-bodied, pure, upfront, and straight-up delicious Zinfandel that I’d be happy to drink.

The 2017s From Sonoma From a site in the Russian River Valley that spent 10 months in 50% new French oak, the 2017 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard offers outstanding complexity in its dark fruits, spice, and peppery herb-laced aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied and elegant on the palate, it has a pretty, juicy, delicious style that’s ideal for drinking over the coming 7-8 years.

Precise and tightly wound right now, offering expressive blueberry, white pepper and evergreen aromas that build tension toward broad-shouldered tannins.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is distinguished by a real sense of weight and gravitas. Leather, cedar, licorice, tobacco and dried herbs add layers of nuance. The Fanucchi-Wood Road is the darkest and most powerful of these Zinfandels from Hartford, which is probably attributable to a field blend that includes Petite Sirah.

The head-pruned vines at the vineyard behind Don Hartford’ house are more than 100 years old, their deep roots providing a bright and detailed zinfandel with meaty depths of flavor. It’s a little reduced at first, with some orange-zest volatility that bring up a brisk, mineral feel in the tannins. Clean, supple and seamless, this would complement roast duck with cherries.

The 2016 Zinfandel (Russian River Valley) is fresh, fruity and forward, all qualities that make it a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. Ripe red cherry, plum, spice and cola are pushed forward in this racy, succulent Zinfandel. Soft contours and bright acids add to the wine's considerable appeal. Simply put, the 2016 is gorgeous.

Already bottled, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Hartford Zinfandel is scented of baked blueberries, stewed plums and kirsch with touches of raspberry leaves, dried herbs, spice box and new leather. Full-bodied, firmly textured and with a lively backbone, it gives a great intensity of blue and black berry preserves, finishing long and spicy.

The inky colored 2016 Zinfandel Russian River Valley Old Vine is a blend from all five of the vineyards they use for their single vineyard Zinfandels. Blueberries, blood orange, violets, and exotic spice notes, medium body, beautiful mid-palate depth, and sweet tannin all define this juicy, undeniably delicious beauty. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years.

Medium-dark to dark purplish ruby; very attractive, rich, ripe, intense, spicy, briary, red, blue, and black berry fruit aroma with notes of dried herbs and black pepper; full body; rich, ripe, concentrated, briary, black raspberry and blackberry jam flavors with good depth and acid balance, and notes of mocha and black pepper; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Very appealing to drink now with its forward rich fruit, though also worthy of a few more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

Medium-dark purplish ruby color; very attractive, forward, rich, intense, spicy, raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry fruit aroma with hints of dried herbs and black pepper; full body; big, deep, ripe, concentrated, nicely balanced, red and dark berry fruit flavors with briary and herbal notes, and a rich mouthfeel; full tannin; long, lingering aftertaste. Very approachable and appealing to drink now, though worthy of several more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

A bruiser, powerfully built and loaded with personality, offering currant, tar and licorice flavors that plow toward big but resolved tannins. Not for the faint of heart.

Blending five of the producer's vineyard-designates, all dry-farmed and old-vine, this is a high-acid red with hearty spice and components of dried herb, cedar and oak. Supple and rich, it's distinctively savory and tart on the midpalate and finish, finishing in a blur of pepper.

From head-trained vines planted more than a century ago, then aged in French oak, this is a bold, plum-driven expression of cherry and berry pie seasoned in cinnamon that's structured and exuberantly full bodied. It offers a bright streak of acidity that keeps it succulent in the glass.

Ripe and well-built, with a core of vibrant acidity, offering floral black raspberry and bay leaf aromas and layered blueberry and cherry flavors, accented by crushed rock, white pepper and anise hints.

Ripe and well-built, with a core of vibrant acidity, offering floral black raspberry and bay leaf aromas and layered blueberry and cherry flavors, accented by crushed rock, white pepper and anise hints.

Catches your attention with a distinctive aroma of fresh pine trees, then follows through with complex, focused flavors of raspberry, licorice and mineral. Ripe overall, but bright acidity keeps this balanced.

Catches your attention with a distinctive aroma of fresh pine trees, then follows through with complex, focused flavors of raspberry, licorice and mineral. Ripe overall, but bright acidity keeps this balanced. Drink now through 2025.

Dark purplish ruby; forward, deep, ripe, intense, briary, slightly jammy, raspberry and blackberry fruit aroma with hints of tobacco and baking spices; full body; rich, ripe, concentrated, plummy, red and black fruit flavors with good depth and acidity, and a plush mouthfeel; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Very appealing to drink and savor now, while also having some aging potential. Very highly recommended.

Compact and rather brooding, the personality still shines through. Eucalyptus and boysenberry aromas slowly open to complex, dense flavors of smoky blueberry, mineral and spicy anise. The tannins are big but the acidity keeps this moving.

Compact and rather brooding, though the personality still shines through. Eucalyptus and boysenberry aromas slowly open to complex, dense flavors of smoky blueberry, mineral and spicy anise. The tannins are big but the acidity keeps this moving. Best from 2018 through 2026.

A bold, immediate wine, the 2014 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard offers plenty of up-front intensity and concentration. Dark cherry, blueberry, spice and menthol are all pushed forward. There is not shortage of depth or intensity, but I find fewer shades of dimension and a bit less to engage the senses than in some of the other wines. The 2014 Dina's is delicious, but the competition is pretty intense in this range of superb Zinfandels from Hartford.

Plump and burly in structure but keenly focused and complex. Aromas of jammy black raspberry and mint open to layered flavors of smoky plum, crushed stone and cracked pepper. The tannins are big but fleshy.

Bright ruby. Intense red and dark berry scents show very good energy and pick up a dark chocolate note with air. Sappy black raspberry and bitter chocolate flavors are enlivened by juicy acidity, which adds bite to the back half. Closes with building, fine-grained tannins, an echo of bitter chocolate and excellent persistence.