Terre d Oro (Amador) 2007 Zinfandel- Great Review by Mike Dunne in SacBee

Mike Dunne could not be more complimentary about Terre D Oro's 2007 Amador County Zinfandel, part of his May 25 review on SacBee.com

The link to the full review is
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/25/3650959/zinfandels-the-foundation.html#ixzz1Nr6BZ1hU

but just in case you do not subscribe to SacBee's online edition (which is easy to do, and I recommend it!) , here are a few salient quotes:

"When we stopped by the winery not long ago, the Terra d'Oro 2007 Home Vineyard Zinfandel was especially likable for its earthiness, smokiness and length. Terra d'Oro's 2006 SHR Field Blend Zinfandel was a meatier and sweeter take on the varietal. And the Terra d'Oro Deaver Vineyard Zinfandel was the most voluminous and ripest representative of the varietal in the place, seizing the fully ripe flavors for which Amador County zinfandel is recognized without crossing into prune and raisin territory.

Our favorite of the four this day was the Terra d'Oro Winery 2007 Amador County Zinfandel. It was the first of the four in the lineup, acknowledgment that it also was the gentlest. Still, it's a zinfandel packed with the fresh blackberry and raspberry fruit and the clove spiciness for which the varietal is recognized in Amador. Of the four, it was the liveliest and longest on the palate. It's rich and solid, more medium-bodied than heavy, and while accessible now could benefit by three to five years of aging.


It fully captures the warmth and sunshine of Amador County, but in a manner that, well, is more mannerly than more brash and intimidating interpretations. And at $18, it offers the best value of Terra d'Oro's zinfandels.


Terra d'Oro winemaker Chris Leamy credits the wine's clarity and complexity to the winery's rolling 400-acre vineyard, in particular how it gives him grapes from varied elevations ranging from 1,000 feet to almost 2,000 feet, and stretching north and south across the valley.
"This geographic range helps to bring a bit more complexity and to really showcase what zin from this area can produce," he said. "I think this wine's most pronounced character is the classic spice/fruit nose that you don't find as much in other regions. The dominance of the clove/allspice character really speaks to the area."


Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/25/3650959/zinfandels-the-foundation.html#ixzz1Nr8Vs0O4