Zepaltas Wines

"88 points

A touch gamy, this full-bodied Pinot offers a nice mix of fresh earth, spice and sour black cherry fruit that's racy and wild, savory and complex. A bit unbridled at this point. Best from 2010 through 2015. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 145 cases made. –JL"
-Wine Spectator, January 2009

"Spirited aromas of black cherries, wild flowers, hay and oak that rocket out of the glass. Delicious and vibrant blackberry and ollalliberry fruit with some other intriguing flavors I can’t pinpoint. Beautifully herbed and spiced and perfectly balanced, this is a wine of great nuance that makes you sit up and take notice. I loved this wine!"
-PinotFile Volume 7 Issue 6

"An expressive nose of sour cherry, raspberry and distinct herbal aromas leads to detailed, pure and intense middle weight flavors that possess a firm acid spine that gives shape and form to the energetic, indeed even racy finish that delivers good if not special persistence. Not withstanding the expressiveness of the nose, this is an understated effort in which some may find too much acidity and thus lacking a bit of generosity. I like the edginess and detail and this will clearly go well at the table but it is not a wine to serve as a starter as there is more youthful austerity than most would find to their taste. Moreover, I would not age it beyond 2 to 3 years as it risks drying out. 88/2011+"
-Burghound

"94 Zepaltas 2006 Sonoma Coast Suacci Vineyard Pinot Noir -There’s brightness to this wine’s color and spicy aroma, more vinous than directly fruity. Its acidity captures the wind off the Pacific and infuses the wine with cool tones of red berries and forest floor along with earthy minerality. That balance makes it compelling and hard to resist. Though still youthfully tight, it leaves the mouth refreshed, ready for pan-seared salmon, roast chicken, roast beef or the table at the restaurant where you have ordered all three”

-Wine & Spirits Magazine, April 2008

"91 points Light, bright red. Intensely floral bouquet of red berries, cherry skin, yellow rose, violet and smoky minerals. A subtle vanilla quality builds with air and carries onto the palate, sweetening the tangy red and dark berry flavors. Silky, fresh, precise pinot with very good finishing lift and cut."

-Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

"Score: 89 Fragrant blueberry, blackberry and wild berry flavors are elegant yet intense, rich and well-proportioned, with detailed acidity, tannins and light oak. Finishes with a complex aftertaste. Drink now through 2012."
75 cases made. –JL

-Wine Spectator, Jun 30, 2008

"88(+?) points Amber-edged red. Spicy redcurrant and cherry aromas are complicated by cured tobacco and minerals. Tangy and sharply focused, offering zesty red fruit flavors and a brisk orange peel quality. Wound-up right now; my sample only loosened up after being open for a day."

-Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

"Score: 88” A graceful, supple, harmonious style, with pleasing plum, black cherry and wild berry fruit that's focused and complex. Drink now through 2011. Tasted twice, with consistent notes."
148 cases made. –JL

-Wine Spectator 2008