Stephen Brook | Brooding cherry nose, still surprisingly reserved for 2013. The attack is rich and dense, with imposing breadth of very ripe cherry fruit dusted with Indian spice. Assertive rather than elegant, but very concentrated and tense, with a hint of oak. This is still youthful, with a good deal of structure. Old-school Zinfandel, but without excesses such as very high alcohol. This has character and length. | 92

Alex Hunt | Somewhat oxidative on the nose, with notes of gravy and dried apple. The slightly bitter palate confirms—there just isn’t enough fruit or freshness here to express the variety or go the distance. | 82

Andrew Jefford | Deep black-red but translucent. Sweet, creamy, mellow scents: very sensual, beguiling, and attractive. Some secondary tobacco-y complexities here, too. Finely crafted and compelling aromas. On the palate, this is a deliciously luxurious, amply ripened, and presumably low-yielding, probably old-vine Zin from a good site that has had the half-decade it needs to get away from that very simple (though exciting) youth they all have and settle down into a more relaxed and more complex middle age. Buy with assurance for ample classicism. | 93