Denier-Handal Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Vertical

Tasting notes & discussion 107

Gold Medal Winners!

24 HOUR SALE
Typically $29/bottle from Denier-Handal
Vintage 2017 and 2018 from Dry Creek Valley
Both scored Gold at the 2020 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
Available for AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; FL; GA; ID; IL; IN; KS; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; NC; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; TX; VA; WA; WI
Sold by Denier-Handal Vineyards, fulfilled by Wine Country Connect

About Denier-Handal Vineyards
Based in the heart of Dry Creek Valley, Denier-Handal grew premium grapes for over 20 years for other Napa and Sonoma wineries, forming some long-standing relationships in the process. Although they aren’t cultivating their own grapes these days, they still consult for the family that purchased their vineyard and source their grapes from both there and some of their old colleagues. Preferring small family-owned vineyards with organic, sustainable practices, Denier-Handal continue to grow their relationships and produce award-winning wines.

A State of Denier

TASTING NOTES:
2017 - “The aromas are pure fruit with hints of spices and wood. Raspberries, plum, and dark cherry are initial flavors with some of us also tasting nuances of fig leading to an enjoyable spicy finish. This is truly a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. We are proud of this well balanced vintage.”

2018 - “Rich ripe fruit, (blackberry and raspberry), invites a taste. The nose evolves to strawberry jam and cinnamon spice. In the mouth blackberries and dark plum, and creamy cassis persist, strongly complimented by flavors of toasted brown sugar and cinnamon… These progress to a lingering finish of dark fruit flavors, caramel and burnt sugar, which plays against the wine’s well balanced acid and tannic structure.“

BARRELS:
2017 spent 10 1/2 months in 2-year-old French oak, 2018 spent 20 months in 2-year-old French oak.

TANGENTIALLY RELATED FACT to help you make conversation over this wine:
In 1976, M. Lamar Keene published his book The Psychic Mafia, which described “true-believer syndrome:” a situation where people continue to believe in some phenomenon even after it has been fully proven false. According to psychologist Matthew J. Sharps, there are four psychological factors that contribute to “true-believer syndrome.” First, subclinical dissociative tendencies (basically dissociative tendencies that aren’t classified as mental illness) due to an existing experience of disconnection from reality. Cognitive dissonance definitely plays a role, as true believers may often invest much into their belief and be unwilling/unable to grapple with the investment being a waste. Gestalt processing contributes in the sense that sometimes the gaps in logic will be overlooked when the perceived pattern feels right. Lastly, the availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that essentially places higher value on concepts with more readily available information.

PAIRS WITH (winery recommended):
2017 with anything from barbecue to eggplant parmiggiano. 2018 with a red sauce based pasta dish, your favorite burger, and great with mushroom dishes.

OR (really-going-with-the-theme-option):
Psych 101 textbook.

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