Terra d’Oro Amador County Zinfandel 2010

Terra d’Oro Zinfandel is born on old vines, grown on the steep golden hills of Amador County. The 2010 Terra d’Oro Zinfandel adds further testimony to the merits of Terra d’Oro’s unwavering commitment to the practice of natural methods of viticulture and wine making: what results is world class wine. The 2010 Terra d’Oro Zinfandel is a beautifully balanced Zinfandel that comes across as both rich and vibrant. Deep in color, flavorful, and surprisingly elegant in a substantial frame with 14.5% alcohol, the 2010 Terra d’Oro Zinfandel offers an enticing aroma of ripe dark fruits redolent with the scents of blackberry, plum, pepper, bramble, and spice. Although rich and amply structured, the wine never loses composure or comes across as blousy or overblown. Better still, it unfolds slowly in the glass, becoming more intriguing with each successive sip. What the 2010 Terra d’Oro offers the wine drinker is a classy, multidimensional glass of Zinfandel that starts and finishes with both suavity and verve. Enjoy this excellent Zinfandel at cool room temperature (60º-66º F).

The 2010 Terra d’Oro Zinfandel has been billed as the “24 carat partner to barbecues and burgers,” and who are we to argue? So, why not serve up some thick, juicy burgers with all of the fixings with Terra d’Oro’s beautiful Amador County Zinfandel? Lamb burgers topped with goat cheese and organic greens pair nicely, too. Yet, we think Terra d’Oro’s Zinfandel is also the ideal companion to a Mediterranean diet and a host of southern Italian specialties. Penne pasta in a rich tomato cream sauce with chicken, broccoli, and roasted eggplant makes for a splendid accompaniment to the 2010 Terra d’Oro Zinfandel. Manicotti, lasagna, sausage and peppers, and almost any dish prepared with tomato sauce pair well with this wine, too. Grilled herb encrusted pork chops served with braised greens and polenta; hummus with roasted red pepper and bits of sun dried tomato; and chipotle chili tortillas stuffed with a three cheese blend provide other fine complements. And if you are not up for preparing something special, the 2010 Terra d’Oro Zinfandel can hold court very nicely with both hard and soft cheeses. Enjoy!

Terra d’Oro is a premium selection of wines made at Montevina, one of the oldest and most prestigious wineries in California. Set amid the foothills of the Sierra Mountains, Terra d’Oro lies at the heart of California’s “Gold Rush Country.” However, today Terra d’Oro is best known for its liquid gold in the form of excellent Syrah, Zinfandel, Barbera, Pinot Grigio, and other Italian grape varieties that emanate from the golden Amador foothills as well as choice vineyards in Santa Barbara County.

The Trinchero family has owned Terra d’Oro since 1988, but this winery’s passion for growing outstanding fruit and producing many of California’s finest Rhône and Italian style varietals dates back even further to the 1960s. And since 1986, Jeff Meyers, unquestionably one of the most experienced California winemakers with Italian varietals, has been the General Manager and guiding force behind Montevina and Terra d’Oro’s huge success. Possessing an encyclopedic knowledge of the region’s viticulture along with a knack for fashioning distinctive Mediterranean varietals that possess elegance as well as fabulous flavor, Jeff is one of the first California winemakers to be enormously successful with Mediterranean varieties. Montevina’s Barbera, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, Syrah, and Zinfandel, produced under the Terra d’Oro label, create a benchmark portfolio for these grape varieties that would be hard to find elsewhere. And unlike most of the wines from this estate’s competitors, Terra d’Oro’s wines are produced from a high percentage of old vines.