2021 Peterson Zero Manipulation Red Wine, Tollini Vineyard, Redwood Valley
This Rhône blend is both serious and playful, starting with dark-toned aromas of black raspberry and dried strawberry layered with subtle baking spices, kid leather and sage. Bright, fruit-forward flavors fill the palate with blackberry, blueberry, strawberry and raspberry, along with just a hint of orange citrus appearing late. The fresh flavors carry an undertone of brown spices, black pepper and just a trace of earthy molasses. Lively acidity and integrated oak provide the perfect framework for this easy-sipping, medium-bodied wine.
An easy wine to match up with carne asada tacos, barbecue chicken pizza, bacon cheeseburgers and so much more.
Jamie Peterson’s Vintaged View
Our Zero Manipulation is blended using 100% Tollini Vineyard fruit, and is the first in our line of wines honoring this great vineyard and farmer/friend to the north. We’ve produced Zero every year since 2000 using old vine Carignane as the dominant varietal, and in 2021 it makes up 60% of the blend. From this core of spicy, zippy red fruit flavors, we’ve added layers of depth, complexity and balance with Grenache and Syrah. Our goal in the blend is to create a wine that is a true bistro wine—tasty, food friendly, full of soul and almost refreshing, without ever becoming heavy. As our original t-shirt proclaimed, this wine is always “easy to use and cheap to operate.”
Zero Manipulation is the winemaking philosophy that we employ on all of our wines. Our definition of Zero Manipulation is using the gentlest winemaking techniques possible to maximize flavors, aromas and the original essence of the grapes from the given vineyard and vintage. The less you do in the course of a wine’s tenure in the cellar, the more of the grape’s, vineyard’s, and vintage’s essence you’ll have to bottle. Every time you do something to a wine, you take out a little of what you started with. We endeavor to share with you as much of the grape’s true essence in every bottle; naturally, sustainably and with a mind to being easy on your wallet.
Specs
Varietal Breakdown/Harvest Dates
60% Carignane / Sept. 28
33% Grenache / Sept. 8
7% Syrah / Sept. 15
Vineyard: 100% Tollini Vineyard
Appellation: Redwood Valley, Mendocino County
Alcohol: 14.5%
pH: 3.35
TA: 0.72g/100ml
Barrel Aging: 21 months
Cooperage: 100% neutral oak barrels
Bottling Date: June 29, 2023 (unfined & unfiltered)
2020 Peterson Old School Zinfandel, Tollini Vineyard, Redwood Valley
An aromatic beam of vine-ripened black raspberry sprinkled with fresh black pepper dances around the glass. The smooth entry soon exposes a peppery spice-laden mid-palate surrounding flavors of blackberry, raspberry, Queen Anne cherry and pomegranate. Traces of oak appear in the dark berry and spice-laced long finish. When first opened, give this wine some time to breathe and share the depth of its flavors. It can also just be quickly sipped as a delicious no-thinkin’ Zin. Your choice.
Such an easy sipping Zinfandel pairs with almost anything, but it particularly shines with spicy baked ziti with Italian sausage and a side of garlic French bread, or lamb kababs with curried sweet potatoes and tzatziki.
Jamie Peterson’s Vintaged View
Old School is sometimes described as our “Easy Drinking, No Thinking” Zin, but don’t let that make you think it’s any less serious of a wine than our other bottlings.
After nearly ten years putting together a value priced Zin blend from various Sonoma County grapes, our friend and grower in Mendocino, Alvin Tollini, let us know he had a mature Zinfandel vineyard coming available, and would we be interested in the fruit. We took the opportunity to create a new wine in our line of Tollini Vineyard offerings that would showcase what juicy Zin grapes from the hills of Mendocino’s Redwood Valley could produce.
Old School has a style that is full of flavor and character, but not over the top. We want a wine that is refreshing and “highly drinkable” and satisfying. The type of Zin you can either open on a weeknight or take to a party without hesitation. One you can think about and savor…but you really don’t have to.
By blending in 10% Petite Sirah and 5% Carignane, we complement the fruit and jam of the Zin with structure, balance and spice, without overwhelming the singular terroir of this special place.
Specs
Varietal Breakdown/Harvest Dates
85% Zinfandel / Sept. 14
10% Petite Sirah / Sept. 22
5% Carignane / Oct. 1
Vineyard: 100% Tollini Vineyard
Appellation: Redwood Valley, Mendocino
Alcohol: 15.2%
pH: 3.35
TA: 0.72g/100ml
Barrel Aging: 20 months
Cooperage: 20% 2-year-old Hungarian oak barrels
80% 4-10 year-old neutral oak barrels
Bottling Date: June 28, 2022 (unfined & unfiltered)
2022 Peterson Mendo Blendo, Tollini Vineyard, Redwood Valley
Best in Class, Double Gold and 97 points ~ 2025 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge
Dark, concentrated aromas of plum and blackberry mingle with the scent of kid-glove leather. A light, refreshing entry flows in dark flavors mid-palate that continue into the finish. Bright acidity and hints of oak frame the flavors, lending a mouthwatering quality to the wine. Black plum, boysenberry, cherry and blueberry fuse with traces of dried strawberry, black tea, dried fine herbs and blood orange. This blend offers the depth, layers and quality of a fine French Rhône red, but without the price tag.
Enjoy with hearty fare like seafood gumbo, kale and white bean stew or lamb tagine with green olives and lemon served with saffron rice.
Fred’s (Peterson) Vintaged View
Our Mendo Blendo reflects the two realities inherent in all interesting wines: place and people. The place being Mendocino County and the people (besides Jamie and myself) being Alvin and Sally Tollini, who grew the grapes that produced this wine. Though we would never trade living in and producing wines from Dry Creek Valley, I’ve always enjoyed Mendocino County, its people, and its wines. Mendocino County winegrowing is an important part of my history. I began my winegrowing career in December 1973 as a vineyard worker for Frey Vineyards in Mendocino’s Redwood Valley. We began producing our Zero Manipulation wine from the Tollini’s Home Ranch “Wild Vines” Carignane in 2000, and have produced it every year since. Alvin Tollini is a third-generation Redwood Valley grower and a wonderful person, as well as an exceptional grape grower.
Since 2008, when Alvin first offered me some of his Petite Sirah grapes, Mendo Blendo was created with Tollini Mendocino Petite Sirah at its core. For the 2022 vintage, the blend’s core is split between Syrah (46%) and Petite Sirah (42%), with 8% Grenache and 4% Carignane rounding out the flavors. The grapes remain 100% from Tollini Vineyard. We named this wine Mendo Blendo to reflect its origins with a wink and a nod to Mendocino’s other agricultural crop of note.
Specs
Varietal Breakdown/Harvest Dates
46% Syrah / October 4
42% Petite Sirah / Sept. 22 & Oct. 4
8% Grenache / October 13
4% Carignane / October 18
Vineyard: 100% Tollini Vineyard
Appellation: Redwood Valley, Mendocino County
Alcohol: 13.7%
pH: 3.46
TA: 0.65g/100ml
Barrel Aging: 21 months
Cooperage: 14% new French oak barrels, 7% new American oak barrels, 7% new Hungarian oak barrels, 72% neutral old barrels
Bottling Date: July 24, 2024 (unfined & unfiltered)
2021 Peterson Barbera, Tollini Vineyard, Redwood Valley
As the wine opens, the enticing aromatics that make you want to dive into the glass shift from pronounced tart cherry and black pepper to ripe blackberry with hints of dried fine herbs. A smooth entry leads into just the right amount of vibrant acidity, making the flavors pop. Savor a fusion of dark cherry, blackberry and dried strawberry laced with traces of dried herbs, black pepper, sweet tobacco, loamy earth and lavender. The layers of flavors create a roundness that balances the bright acidity to offer up a lovely, easy-sipper. With so many perfect pairings, it’s tough to just pick a few. Try it with your favorite lasagna with garlic bread on the side, or smoked brisket with curly fries and a range of barbecue sauces from sweet to spicy.
Vintage
The 2021 is our twelfth vintage from this block. As a 100% varietal from Tollini Vineyard, it truly showcases what the grape is capable of when grown in the right location. This wine hits the high notes, with power and depth behind it, and a purity and clarity one would expect from this ancient varietal.
Specs
Composition: 100% Barbera
Vineyard: Tollini Vineyard
Appellation: Redwood Valley, Mendocino
Harvest Date: September 20, 2021
Barrel Aging: 22 months
Cooperage: 100% neutral oak barrels
Bottling Date: June 28, 2023 (unfined & unfiltered)
Peterson Winery has been producing wine in Dry Creek Valley for 30 years and, like most wineries in the Valley, produces Zinfandel as well as other wines. Yet a closer look shows that is where the similarities end.
Owner Fred Peterson is an iconoclast with an old world winemaking philosophy and a reverence for sustainable farming. The Peterson approach is to capture the essence of vintage and vineyard—a philosophy they call Zero Manipulation—with low tech, yet high touch, to produce wines of a place, wines with soul. The evolution of Peterson wines and winemaking accelerated when Fred’s son Jamie became assistant winemaker in the summer of 2002. In 2006, after moving from the tiny red barn on Lytton Springs to Timber Crest Farms, Jamie was given the overall responsibilities as winemaker. As a winegrowing team, Fred and Jamie assess the grapes from each vineyard and vintage as the season progresses, evaluating how the weather, soil and site are interacting for the particular vintage.
At Peterson winery, the winemaking process begins while the grapes are still on the vines. Zero Manipulation is a discipline the Petersons follow to capture the character and balance inherent in the grapes. Zero Manipulation means using the most gentle, traditional winemaking practices possible to maximize the flavors, aromatics and texture of the wines. Fred and Jamie celebrate vintage differences and don’t tweak or homogenize the wine to obtain consistency of flavors, a common practice in mass-market wineries. For Fred and Jamie, Peterson Winery is all about the wines. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll see the heart and soul that goes into every bottle.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, ME, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, RI, SC, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Barely saw the offering and selected buy. This a a no-brainer for me, all day. I love Peterson winery. I purchased a case of the red blend Zero Manipulation last December and it’s a favorite of mine. In fact, I’m displaying my self-control by only buying one case because my cellar is utterly full. If the Vinter shows up, thanks for making great wines!
@user33071884 Thank you for enjoying them and supporting us!! And making room in the cellar. Probably last chance for that 2021 Barbera, and the others are all tasting great now as well
@PetersonWinery It’s my pleasure! I have not yet had a Peterson wine that left me disappointed. In fact, I grabbed a case of the Malbec and Petit Verdot last year, Bradford Mountain estate, and they’re wonderful!
LabRat here! I was sent the 2021 Peterson Barbera. I opened it up before dinner. The color was a gorgeous deep berry color. I drink a lot of Barberas but this was different (in a good way). Given the color, I expected something very fruit forward. However, to my palate, it was much more earthy than the Barberas I typically drink. It still felt full and jammy but the fullness was more savory than sweet. Probably not a great description but my thoughts.
I had planned to save the rest for another night since we were having Mexican food and I wasn’t sure it would pair well when I opened it. But given how earthy it is, we kept drinking and it worked very well. This is definitely a wine you can sip but it would also hold up well with any big flavors.
I’m really intrigued by the mixed offering. I have 3 wine club shipments coming in the next month so am on the fence about buying but really enjoyed this one and would like to try others.
@reesai The Redwood Valley makes some pretty intense Barbera grapes. Red soil, warm days, cool nights. Alcohol and fruit character are never lacking on this wine, and sometimes the natural acidity can be over the top. I like your descriptions!
We used to do events with a whole carnitas taco bar for the food, and Barbera and Zero Manipulation were two of the main favorites we would pair with it.
We were talking about a relative’s recent trip to the Northern Plains, which included a stop at Wall Drug in North Dakota and we were explaining to DW about the elusive jackalope they have on display. Lo and behold, a jackalope arrived on our doorstep in Tampa the very next day in the form of this 2021 Peterson Tollini Vineyard Zero Manipulation Mendocino Red Wine (a jackalope is featured on the label). We have been big fans of Peterson wines for many years, buying and enjoying many offerings. This wine has a complicated name, but a simply delicious taste. It comes with a screw top, consistent with the unpretentiousness of this fun 60% Carignane, 33% Grenache, 7% Syrah blend. On unscrew-and-pour, the color is dark plum with aromas of brambly fruit. As this wine is unfined and unfiltered, a suspension of particulate matter makes it a little cloudy, but not in an off-putting way. The initial taste is dark berry with a good acidity and very slight hints of black pepper. Tannins are muted. Our mid-20s son is not a wine enthusiast, but proclaimed “Yum!” on first taste. We paired the Zero Manipulation with a grilled marinated beef roast served with a bbq sauce/bourbon/onion/etc. pan sauce, roasted potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts with a balsamic drizzle. This is an extremely food-friendly wine. The acidity played nicely with the richness of the grilled beef roast and pan sauce. Over the course of the meal, the characteristics of this wine evolved very little-no breathing required. We saved ½ the bottle for the next evening and served it with take-out fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and charred green beans. Again, this wine was food friendly, but it did go better with the beef roast than with the chicken. There was no notable change in the flavor of the wine 24 hours after opening. This 2021 is ready to drink now. I was recently reading a New York Times article where they noted that some American wine makers are starting to aim for the target of relatively straight forward easy drinking and reasonably priced wines that the Europeans have enjoyed for many years in their tavernas and restaurants. On the back label the wine grower, Alvin Tollini, and Winemaker, Jamie Peterson note that they were striving to make a “wine with all the delicious, quaffable nature of a bistro wine.” I think they managed to do so brilliantly. Drinking this small production (325 cases) red blend brought back fond memories of our many wine tastings in small boutique wineries in Northern Italy this summer. We will be adding some of this yummy, food friendly, hard-to-name, red blend to our collection. We have had prior iterations of Peterson’s Zin, Mendo Blendo, and Barbera, and have always been pleased. At this price offering, this is a no brainer. The only hard part is figuring out where I am going to store it!
@kaolis annnnnd feeding y’all in bits and pieces… the backwards wine drinker offered this up a couple of weeks ago…
The 2020 Peterson Tollini Old School Zinfandel opens powerfully with plenty of brambly and almost raisin-y fruit aromas. Black pepper, spice, licorice and vanilla round things out on the very aromatic and attractive nose.
Hello! Wow, this is a unique, savory and flavorful Zin that wakes your taste buds right up. Harmonious and balanced, it features an explosion of deep, savory flavors like black cherry, lots of cola notes, loads of licorice plus some black pepper and touches of spice and vanilla that are all wrapped up in a smooth mouthfeel. This is a great example of Zinfandel!
It ends dry, a bit grippy and quite long and lasting with lingering, delicious, tart, juicy fruit and peppery spice on the mouthwatering and lip-smacking finish. We found it to be at its best after a few hours of air and was similar on day 2.
We’ve offered several vintages of this wine in the past and this might be the best rendition yet – it’s just so savory. This is crying out to be paired with BBQ ribs! 9/28/26
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations)
Peterson Tollini Vineyard Mixed Reds - $49 = 24.01%
This bottle of 2020 Old School Zin arrived when we were out of town, but in plenty of time to plan a few meals for it. Impressions: Twisted off the top and poured a glass before the coming pierogies (Happy National Pierogi Day!) prepped with caramelized onions, and topped with yoghurt in substitution for sour cream. Served with fresh tomato slices and red pepper. Great meal and the zin (dark garnet and nice fruit on the nose) worked well with it. No major synergy with the food, but good mesh.
Day 2 after vac corking and counter storage paired it with my homemade red sauce over fusilli next to green beans saute’d with more onion and chili crisp. Garlic bread and parmigiano romano over the whole thing. If that zin was going to sing, this would be the meal to trigger it. Nope, just a very mellow daily drinker. Smooth tannins, balanced acidity, no fireworks, but definitely deserves a shelf on the rack for daily use or party accompaniment. IN for a split in the DMV? HMU!
@kls_in_MD As a result of my compelling review, decided to order a case! UNFORTUNATELY, Impossibly(?) while I could receive and rat a bottle, I cannot ship a case to the same address in MD. Any DC mates want to help a brother?
@kls_in_MD I always call it the “No thinking/easy drinking” of our Zin lineup. Glad you enjoyed! Sorry about MD current shipping status… WCC can ship the sample on their own but the fulfillment falls under our own licensing.
Hi Casemates folks - Jamie Peterson here, checking in. Thank you to the lab rats that have already posted their reviews! @pseudogourmet98@kls_in_MD@reesai Sorry about the Maryland issue, and other states… We have had more issues with licenses/costs and direct shipping in the last couple years so lost a couple that we were able to do. Hopefully can find some neighbor state casemates to share with. And write your congresspeople.
I meant to check in earlier but have been catching up on rest. We finished a ridiculously easy harvest last week, and after cleaning up/servicing/putting away most of the equipment, diving into the project of a new website (coming in a week or two), and packing club shipments kept me running all directions. My system said its time to rest with some flu/cold symptoms, which happens almost every year after harvest, so it’s a home cleaning and playing records kind of day.
We have offered most of these in the past here and glad to hear the positive responses. The 2021 Barbera will be essentially sold out with this sale, which is sad since it’s one of my favorite vintage. 2022 vintage is nice as well but a little racier acidity.
Our philosophy of winemaking and running a winery always aims for honest, handcrafted wines, that are affordable, and this range of lineup epitomizes both goals. Mendocino grapes being lower cost, and the desire to keep any new oak influence or other technological interventions to a minimum, means we can produce a small batch wine, offered for a lower price. We couldn’t run our winery solely based on producing these, but it’s still important to us to have wines people can enjoy any night of the week and not hesitate to open.
Let me know any questions about these wines. Or anything else. And thank you again!!!
Jamie P
I’m writing this rat report the same way we approached the bottle - getting straight to it.
Color - Deep & dark as you would expect with 80% Syrah & Petit Sirah.
Nose - Leather, some dark berry, workshop.
Palate - Smooth, Prune, Blackberry, probably other dark, dark berries. Nice acidity. Somewhere between light and medium tannins.
This is a nice, bold red blend. The addition of Grenache and Carignane pulls it back from being too full-bodied. We didn’t pair it with anything (no regrets), but it would do well with most red meat dishes. I would be happy to servie it at a backyard BBQ. But it doesn’t need any pairing. It makes a great after-dinner, relaxing in front of the fire sipper. No change at all on the second night.
Bottom line - We all loved this wine. It’s ready to drink now and it should cellar nicely for a few years. Great price for a high quality blend.
Peterson Tollini Vineyard Mixed Reds
2021 Peterson Zero Manipulation Red Wine, Tollini Vineyard, Redwood Valley
Jamie Peterson’s Vintaged View
Specs
2020 Peterson Old School Zinfandel, Tollini Vineyard, Redwood Valley
Jamie Peterson’s Vintaged View
Specs
2022 Peterson Mendo Blendo, Tollini Vineyard, Redwood Valley
Fred’s (Peterson) Vintaged View
Specs
2021 Peterson Barbera, Tollini Vineyard, Redwood Valley
Vintage
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
not all for sale on winery website, $288/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, ME, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, RI, SC, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Nov 2 - Wednesday, Nov 4
Peterson Tollini Vineyard Mixed Reds
4 bottles for $67.99 $17/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $154.99 $12.92/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2020 Peterson Old School Zinfandel
2021 Peterson Zero Manipulation Red Wine
2021 Peterson Barbera
2022 Peterson Mendo Blendo
Previous offer: (older vintages)
10/16/23
Barely saw the offering and selected buy. This a a no-brainer for me, all day. I love Peterson winery. I purchased a case of the red blend Zero Manipulation last December and it’s a favorite of mine. In fact, I’m displaying my self-control by only buying one case because my cellar is utterly full. If the Vinter shows up, thanks for making great wines!
@user33071884 Thank you for enjoying them and supporting us!! And making room in the cellar. Probably last chance for that 2021 Barbera, and the others are all tasting great now as well
@PetersonWinery It’s my pleasure! I have not yet had a Peterson wine that left me disappointed. In fact, I grabbed a case of the Malbec and Petit Verdot last year, Bradford Mountain estate, and they’re wonderful!
LabRat here! I was sent the 2021 Peterson Barbera. I opened it up before dinner. The color was a gorgeous deep berry color. I drink a lot of Barberas but this was different (in a good way). Given the color, I expected something very fruit forward. However, to my palate, it was much more earthy than the Barberas I typically drink. It still felt full and jammy but the fullness was more savory than sweet. Probably not a great description but my thoughts.
I had planned to save the rest for another night since we were having Mexican food and I wasn’t sure it would pair well when I opened it. But given how earthy it is, we kept drinking and it worked very well. This is definitely a wine you can sip but it would also hold up well with any big flavors.
I’m really intrigued by the mixed offering. I have 3 wine club shipments coming in the next month so am on the fence about buying but really enjoyed this one and would like to try others.
@reesai The Redwood Valley makes some pretty intense Barbera grapes. Red soil, warm days, cool nights. Alcohol and fruit character are never lacking on this wine, and sometimes the natural acidity can be over the top. I like your descriptions!
We used to do events with a whole carnitas taco bar for the food, and Barbera and Zero Manipulation were two of the main favorites we would pair with it.
You can’t ship this to PA? Nooooooooooooo
@tydalforce ughhh. Are there any Jersey mates who would like to take pity on me and do a split?
@tydalforce ugh come on. Would love to get in on this offer but PA is apparently verboten
2021 Zero Manipulation Mendocino Red
We were talking about a relative’s recent trip to the Northern Plains, which included a stop at Wall Drug in North Dakota and we were explaining to DW about the elusive jackalope they have on display. Lo and behold, a jackalope arrived on our doorstep in Tampa the very next day in the form of this 2021 Peterson Tollini Vineyard Zero Manipulation Mendocino Red Wine (a jackalope is featured on the label). We have been big fans of Peterson wines for many years, buying and enjoying many offerings. This wine has a complicated name, but a simply delicious taste. It comes with a screw top, consistent with the unpretentiousness of this fun 60% Carignane, 33% Grenache, 7% Syrah blend. On unscrew-and-pour, the color is dark plum with aromas of brambly fruit. As this wine is unfined and unfiltered, a suspension of particulate matter makes it a little cloudy, but not in an off-putting way. The initial taste is dark berry with a good acidity and very slight hints of black pepper. Tannins are muted. Our mid-20s son is not a wine enthusiast, but proclaimed “Yum!” on first taste. We paired the Zero Manipulation with a grilled marinated beef roast served with a bbq sauce/bourbon/onion/etc. pan sauce, roasted potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts with a balsamic drizzle. This is an extremely food-friendly wine. The acidity played nicely with the richness of the grilled beef roast and pan sauce. Over the course of the meal, the characteristics of this wine evolved very little-no breathing required. We saved ½ the bottle for the next evening and served it with take-out fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and charred green beans. Again, this wine was food friendly, but it did go better with the beef roast than with the chicken. There was no notable change in the flavor of the wine 24 hours after opening. This 2021 is ready to drink now. I was recently reading a New York Times article where they noted that some American wine makers are starting to aim for the target of relatively straight forward easy drinking and reasonably priced wines that the Europeans have enjoyed for many years in their tavernas and restaurants. On the back label the wine grower, Alvin Tollini, and Winemaker, Jamie Peterson note that they were striving to make a “wine with all the delicious, quaffable nature of a bistro wine.” I think they managed to do so brilliantly. Drinking this small production (325 cases) red blend brought back fond memories of our many wine tastings in small boutique wineries in Northern Italy this summer. We will be adding some of this yummy, food friendly, hard-to-name, red blend to our collection. We have had prior iterations of Peterson’s Zin, Mendo Blendo, and Barbera, and have always been pleased. At this price offering, this is a no brainer. The only hard part is figuring out where I am going to store it!
These vintages of Barbera and Mendo Blendo were offered here May 21 2025
@kaolis annnd the 2021 Zero was on offer here 12/8/25
@kaolis annnnnd feeding y’all in bits and pieces… the backwards wine drinker offered this up a couple of weeks ago…
The 2020 Peterson Tollini Old School Zinfandel opens powerfully with plenty of brambly and almost raisin-y fruit aromas. Black pepper, spice, licorice and vanilla round things out on the very aromatic and attractive nose.
Hello! Wow, this is a unique, savory and flavorful Zin that wakes your taste buds right up. Harmonious and balanced, it features an explosion of deep, savory flavors like black cherry, lots of cola notes, loads of licorice plus some black pepper and touches of spice and vanilla that are all wrapped up in a smooth mouthfeel. This is a great example of Zinfandel!
It ends dry, a bit grippy and quite long and lasting with lingering, delicious, tart, juicy fruit and peppery spice on the mouthwatering and lip-smacking finish. We found it to be at its best after a few hours of air and was similar on day 2.
We’ve offered several vintages of this wine in the past and this might be the best rendition yet – it’s just so savory. This is crying out to be paired with BBQ ribs! 9/28/26
fwiw
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations)
Peterson Tollini Vineyard Mixed Reds - $49 = 24.01%
This bottle of 2020 Old School Zin arrived when we were out of town, but in plenty of time to plan a few meals for it. Impressions: Twisted off the top and poured a glass before the coming pierogies (Happy National Pierogi Day!) prepped with caramelized onions, and topped with yoghurt in substitution for sour cream. Served with fresh tomato slices and red pepper. Great meal and the zin (dark garnet and nice fruit on the nose) worked well with it. No major synergy with the food, but good mesh.
Day 2 after vac corking and counter storage paired it with my homemade red sauce over fusilli next to green beans saute’d with more onion and chili crisp. Garlic bread and parmigiano romano over the whole thing. If that zin was going to sing, this would be the meal to trigger it. Nope, just a very mellow daily drinker. Smooth tannins, balanced acidity, no fireworks, but definitely deserves a shelf on the rack for daily use or party accompaniment. IN for a split in the DMV? HMU!
@kls_in_MD As a result of my compelling review, decided to order a case! UNFORTUNATELY, Impossibly(?) while I could receive and rat a bottle, I cannot ship a case to the same address in MD. Any DC mates want to help a brother?
@kls_in_MD lol this report is just your menu
@kls_in_MD I always call it the “No thinking/easy drinking” of our Zin lineup. Glad you enjoyed! Sorry about MD current shipping status… WCC can ship the sample on their own but the fulfillment falls under our own licensing.
Hi Casemates folks - Jamie Peterson here, checking in. Thank you to the lab rats that have already posted their reviews! @pseudogourmet98 @kls_in_MD @reesai Sorry about the Maryland issue, and other states… We have had more issues with licenses/costs and direct shipping in the last couple years so lost a couple that we were able to do. Hopefully can find some neighbor state casemates to share with. And write your congresspeople.
I meant to check in earlier but have been catching up on rest. We finished a ridiculously easy harvest last week, and after cleaning up/servicing/putting away most of the equipment, diving into the project of a new website (coming in a week or two), and packing club shipments kept me running all directions. My system said its time to rest with some flu/cold symptoms, which happens almost every year after harvest, so it’s a home cleaning and playing records kind of day.
We have offered most of these in the past here and glad to hear the positive responses. The 2021 Barbera will be essentially sold out with this sale, which is sad since it’s one of my favorite vintage. 2022 vintage is nice as well but a little racier acidity.
Our philosophy of winemaking and running a winery always aims for honest, handcrafted wines, that are affordable, and this range of lineup epitomizes both goals. Mendocino grapes being lower cost, and the desire to keep any new oak influence or other technological interventions to a minimum, means we can produce a small batch wine, offered for a lower price. We couldn’t run our winery solely based on producing these, but it’s still important to us to have wines people can enjoy any night of the week and not hesitate to open.
Let me know any questions about these wines. Or anything else. And thank you again!!!
Jamie P
2022 Mendo Blendo
I’m writing this rat report the same way we approached the bottle - getting straight to it.
Color - Deep & dark as you would expect with 80% Syrah & Petit Sirah.
Nose - Leather, some dark berry, workshop.
Palate - Smooth, Prune, Blackberry, probably other dark, dark berries. Nice acidity. Somewhere between light and medium tannins.
This is a nice, bold red blend. The addition of Grenache and Carignane pulls it back from being too full-bodied. We didn’t pair it with anything (no regrets), but it would do well with most red meat dishes. I would be happy to servie it at a backyard BBQ. But it doesn’t need any pairing. It makes a great after-dinner, relaxing in front of the fire sipper. No change at all on the second night.
Bottom line - We all loved this wine. It’s ready to drink now and it should cellar nicely for a few years. Great price for a high quality blend.
What, no CT?! Bah.
@Adamamesh And no MI. Doesn’t happen very often.
@Adamamesh @baldwino0 Ohio saved me (again)
Thanks @KNmeh7
Went for a case, Peterson Tollini wines have been tasty!
/giphy poignant-grumpy-bath
We love our Peterson wines, and we’re running a bit low!
In for a case!