Deep purple color right to the rim. Aromatically, this is dark black fruits like mulberry, boysenberry, blueberry, and black-skinned plums, all very fresh, without a hint of raisin. Cedar and some new oak, fresh tobacco, and vanilla top off the nose, and there’s a seriousness to the complex blending here. There’s a not-so-subtle weightiness in the mouth, rich, blackberry pie, allspice, warm green earth and bricks, sweet herbs, and crushed berries.
Vineyards
Located on Bell Road in Plymouth, California, in the hills of Amador County, The Renwood Estate Ranch vineyard is planted predominantly with Zinfandel in both head-trained and trellised vines. The vineyard’s slope and shallow, well-draining soils are optimal for farming Zinfandel and produce the highest quality fruit.
Winemaking
Drinkable now, better in 5 years, or hold for up to 15 years for a fully mature Zinfandel experience. “Grandpère” is the proprietary name of our top Zinfandel, pulled from two specific blocks from the estate vineyard, and not to be confused with an ancient vineyard with that name nearby.
Specs
Vintage: 2020
Varietal: 90% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah
Appellation: Amador County
Vineyard: Renwood “Estate Ranch”
Harvested: August 2020
Bottled February 2022
Fermentation: Stainless Tank, at 70º for 12 days
Ageing: 16 Months Barrel Aged, 10% New
Alcohol: 15%
Production: 10,000 cases
Winemakers; Alberto Antonini and Joe Shebl
2020 Waypoint Vineyards “Bell Road” Zinfandel, Amador County
Tasting Notes
From the very top of a hill that stares down on a lake and a creek, in one of the most picturesque places in the Sierra Foothills, lies this single block of old vine (25 yrs.) Zinfandel. There are sweet black cherries, blackberries, plum, milk chocolate, caramel, and vanilla notes with cedar, light spices, and flecks of warm green earth and stones. The palate is soft, full-bodied, and round with mouth-filling dark chocolate, chocolate-covered cherries in liqueur, vanilla spices, and loads of plummy black and red fruits.
A waypoint is an intermediate point or place on a route or line of travel. In modern terms, it most often refers to coordinates that specify one’s position on the globe. In the wine world, one’s waypoint tells a unique story of time and place in the glass. Waypoint was born out of the idea of spotlighting single-vineyard properties, throughout California, to highlight the unique terroir and characteristics of each of these singular plots of dirt. Between Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, Waypoint was one of the first brands in California to place an emphasis on sourcing fruit from one specific locale and giving it the credit it was due.
Specs
Vintage: 2020
Varietal: Zinfandel
Appellation: Amador County
Bottling Date: August 2021
Fermentation: 100% Stainless Steel
Ageing: 12 months in 30% new French Oak puncheons/ barrels (11 months weekly battonage)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Production: 240 cases
What’s Included
2-bottles:
1x 2020 Renwood Grandpère Zinfandel, Amador County
1x 2020 Waypoint Vineyards “Bell Road” Zinfandel, Amador County Case:
6x 2020 Renwood Grandpère Zinfandel, Amador County
6x 2020 Waypoint Vineyards “Bell Road” Zinfandel, Amador County
Situated in the picturesque Amador County of Northern California, Renwood is surrounded by the rolling hills and rushing streams of California’s gold country. Renwood was established in 1993 and is one of the most respected wine producers in the Sierra Foothills. The goal is to create world-class wines that are approachable, delicious, and appealing to the senses, while representing the soils in which they grew.
A wonderful exercise in sourcing fruit from famous plots, Waypoint enables us to dig deep into our Rolodex to find fruit from unique places that deserve a little more attention. It all starts with fantastic vineyards and folks who farm them sustainably. There are plenty of important decisions that follow, but ultimately, it’s about letting the wines speak for themselves and listening to the historic terroir express itself.” Single-vineyard wines need to stand on their own merit. Waypoint harnesses that belief with both hands and lets the vineyard and corresponding wine do all the talking.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
A bottle of Renwood showed up on my doorstep yesterday afternoon. As always, thank you to Alice, David, and the entire Casemates team for the opportunity to rat a part of today’s offer!
Upon initial pop and pour, the color is a dark purple and the initial nose is earthy, or forest floor with several swirls around the glass. I taste dark berry, bramble, with a touch of vanilla. This is a big, juicy Zin that needs some time to open, but will absolutely be delightful with BBQ, or tonight’s food pairing, lamb curry with tamarind chutney. My recommendation is to pick up several bottles, bury it in the back of your cellar, and open no earlier than 2030.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Renwood & Waypoint Mixed Zinfandels - $105 = 29.16%
On pnp nose was dark fruits a slight alcohol burn was noted too.
Flavor was very blackberry on initial. On the mid a stewed prune came out. For the finish a bramble? Woody flavor with a slight tannic pucker. Finish is medium long.
This has enough acid to do ok with not high fat foods. It didn’t quite cut through a Babybel cheese if that helps. But it also seemed to drink well by itself.
This isn’t a particularly aggressive zin with a high alcohol bite and that pepper zing. It seems quite balanced and well made. A great wine to have by itself on the porch enjoying a sunset.
The UPS man came a knocking and asked for my ID. It was a small box. Unexpected. I took it as a good sign.
Thankfully the email from Alice arrived later that night, so the mission was clear! We had a couple days to enjoy this one and a few good dinners lined up to pair it with, so the notes reflect my wife and my impressions over the course of 24 hours.
2020 Renwood Grandpère Zinfandel
Initial impression: sturdy bottle, quality foil, real cork
Nose: fruit on the cork, initial smell combined alcohol (it’s a zin!), oak, leather, blackberry. My wife got sweetness, grape & maple.
First taste (no food): big, bold, potential. Tannin. After 5 mins mouthfeel was more round with some jammyness showing through - black currant comes to mind.
With shawarma cauliflower: smell has mellowed, fruit, black currant, shows through more, still some zip (the kind that indicates aging potential or the need for a decant).
As the wine sits in the glass it continues to round out nicely. Final sip of the night was very solid.
Day 2, with green chili enchilada: wine seems more full bodied and refined. It’s balanced and all the flavors from the day prior work in harmony a bit more.
All in all this was a wine that we enjoyed. Drink now after an hour in the decanter or stick it in a corner for a few years and enjoy the surprise. It’s a good wine that stood on its own and paired nicely with food. I wouldn’t say that food enhanced or detracted the wine, but it was a good dance partner.
@albish7 Was that the shwarma cauliflower recipe from the NYT? I was curious about it. They had a chicken shwarma recipe a few years ago that was excellent.
Not much in the webosphere…
WE on the Renwood:
Aromas are immediately floral with crushed violets and dark red rose petals; voluptuous black plum and black cherry follow, along with a sea-salt salinity and a decadent dusting of cacao. Tannins are firm, but mature and well-balanced by that vivacity of fruit that brings along a good dose of acidity. This is a high-quality wine at a fairly accessible price point—and one that’s easily enjoyable now but will cellar well through 2030. — Stacy Briscoe 10/1/23
In case you didn’t catch it, both wineries owned by same company…
Also, as far as pricing goes, this is a msrp offer of $49 and $40, not $49 and $29. The Renwood is the $49 bottle, the Waypoint is a $40 bottle. The $29 bottle is a Waypoint Bell Road Orange Muscat that was picked up in the pricing link.
That being said actual pricing in retail land is lower than msrp.
I really dislike the fact that cellaring good wines often makes them better. My patience is low and my thirst for un verre de vin is high. I promise I’ll try to be a better wine aficionado and wait (at least till the wine comes).
Santa came early this year and dropped off a rat bottle. Thank you Santa (Alice)! You always know what I want. A note of caution on our review, we are just recovering from Covid and wine has just started tasting good to us again within the past week, so our taste buds may not be quite up to par yet. (The real tragedy is that we came down with Covid on day 3-4 of a 10 day California wine country vacation. We spent the rest of our vacation, miserable, holed up in our condo). The Waypoint Bell Road Vinyard Zin from Amador County (2020) presents with aromas of cherry, pepper, anise, and a hint of mint. Upon opening it was very fruit forward, almost jammy. There were notes of black cherry, black berry, and pepper. It was surprisingly mellow for an ABV of 14.5. This wine seems a bit low on acidity. Over the course of dinner (lamb chops) the jammyness subsided, improving the flavor of the wine. Our son, who usually goes for fruity wines, agreed that the flavor improved with breathing. We left 1/3 of the bottle for 24 hours, corked but not vacuumed. By the second evening, the wine tasted bitter/astringent. We could not finish it. Again, this might be our Covid recovery instead of the wine. the next late morning (to write this review), the wine tasted much better to me with measured fruitiness, slight heat, mildly peppery, notes of plum, dark cherry, vanilla, and oak with mild tannins. Overall, the Waypoint 2020 Zin was a pleasant wine after having a chance to breathe at least 20 minutes. The flavors continue to mellow with time. This is a fine every-day Zin, especially if you like your Zin fruit forward.
"Grandpère” is the proprietary name of our top Zinfandel, pulled from two specific blocks from the estate vineyard, and not to be confused with an ancient vineyard with that name nearby.
IIRC, the “ancient vineyard with that name nearby” belongs to Scott Harvey’s ex-wife and is (mostly) the source for his 1869 Zinfandel.
@chipgreen@coolac5@rjquillin yes. To all of it.
IIRC there was a dispute where the final resolution ended that Scott got to keep using the fruit from the OGP vineyard but not the name. Renwood kept the name as a trademark but I think Scott’s ex refused to sell the fruit to them eventually. Renwood also took cuttings and created their own descendant vineyard from it.
I think 4 wineries get the fruit now: Scott, Noceto, Andis, and Macchia.
Definite different Renwood. Renwood sold their winery in Plymouth ( very cool tasting room also) a few years backand, I believe 20 acres? There were also some very good Zins, but, in my opinion, not as good as when Scott Harvey was at the helm in the 90’s and giving Paul Draper a run for the top dog of Zins ( only my opinion).
2020 Renwood Grandpère Zinfandel, Amador County
Tasting Notes
Vineyards
Winemaking
Specs
2020 Waypoint Vineyards “Bell Road” Zinfandel, Amador County
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
2-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $480/case MSRP
About The Wineries
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jan 8 - Tuesday, Jan 9
Renwood & Waypoint Mixed Zinfandels
2 bottles for $59.99 $30/bottle + $4/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $254.99 $21.25/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2020 Renwood Grandpère Zinfandel
2020 Waypoint Vineyards “Bell Road” Zinfandel
2020 Renwood Grandpère Zinfandel
A bottle of Renwood showed up on my doorstep yesterday afternoon. As always, thank you to Alice, David, and the entire Casemates team for the opportunity to rat a part of today’s offer!
Upon initial pop and pour, the color is a dark purple and the initial nose is earthy, or forest floor with several swirls around the glass. I taste dark berry, bramble, with a touch of vanilla. This is a big, juicy Zin that needs some time to open, but will absolutely be delightful with BBQ, or tonight’s food pairing, lamb curry with tamarind chutney. My recommendation is to pick up several bottles, bury it in the back of your cellar, and open no earlier than 2030.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Renwood & Waypoint Mixed Zinfandels - $105 = 29.16%
Golden ticket here!
Waypoint Vineyards “Bell Road” Zinfandel
Color is a dark purple with a slight bias of red.
On pnp nose was dark fruits a slight alcohol burn was noted too.
Flavor was very blackberry on initial. On the mid a stewed prune came out. For the finish a bramble? Woody flavor with a slight tannic pucker. Finish is medium long.
This has enough acid to do ok with not high fat foods. It didn’t quite cut through a Babybel cheese if that helps. But it also seemed to drink well by itself.
This isn’t a particularly aggressive zin with a high alcohol bite and that pepper zing. It seems quite balanced and well made. A great wine to have by itself on the porch enjoying a sunset.
Cheers all!
The UPS man came a knocking and asked for my ID. It was a small box. Unexpected. I took it as a good sign.
Thankfully the email from Alice arrived later that night, so the mission was clear! We had a couple days to enjoy this one and a few good dinners lined up to pair it with, so the notes reflect my wife and my impressions over the course of 24 hours.
2020 Renwood Grandpère Zinfandel
Initial impression: sturdy bottle, quality foil, real cork
Nose: fruit on the cork, initial smell combined alcohol (it’s a zin!), oak, leather, blackberry. My wife got sweetness, grape & maple.
First taste (no food): big, bold, potential. Tannin. After 5 mins mouthfeel was more round with some jammyness showing through - black currant comes to mind.
With shawarma cauliflower: smell has mellowed, fruit, black currant, shows through more, still some zip (the kind that indicates aging potential or the need for a decant).
As the wine sits in the glass it continues to round out nicely. Final sip of the night was very solid.
Day 2, with green chili enchilada: wine seems more full bodied and refined. It’s balanced and all the flavors from the day prior work in harmony a bit more.
All in all this was a wine that we enjoyed. Drink now after an hour in the decanter or stick it in a corner for a few years and enjoy the surprise. It’s a good wine that stood on its own and paired nicely with food. I wouldn’t say that food enhanced or detracted the wine, but it was a good dance partner.
@albish7 Was that the shwarma cauliflower recipe from the NYT? I was curious about it. They had a chicken shwarma recipe a few years ago that was excellent.
@InFrom
Yup! The harissa tahini makes it, but great easy dish
Not much in the webosphere…
WE on the Renwood:
Aromas are immediately floral with crushed violets and dark red rose petals; voluptuous black plum and black cherry follow, along with a sea-salt salinity and a decadent dusting of cacao. Tannins are firm, but mature and well-balanced by that vivacity of fruit that brings along a good dose of acidity. This is a high-quality wine at a fairly accessible price point—and one that’s easily enjoyable now but will cellar well through 2030. — Stacy Briscoe 10/1/23
In case you didn’t catch it, both wineries owned by same company…
Also, as far as pricing goes, this is a msrp offer of $49 and $40, not $49 and $29. The Renwood is the $49 bottle, the Waypoint is a $40 bottle. The $29 bottle is a Waypoint Bell Road Orange Muscat that was picked up in the pricing link.
That being said actual pricing in retail land is lower than msrp.
fwiw
@kaolis that’s good info. I was wondering why the discount didn’t seem as great as usual
I really dislike the fact that cellaring good wines often makes them better. My patience is low and my thirst for un verre de vin is high. I promise I’ll try to be a better wine aficionado and wait (at least till the wine comes).
@brucenie buy too much, get old, forget where it is…perfect recipe for aged wine
2020 Waypoint Vineyards “Bell Road” Zinfandel
Santa came early this year and dropped off a rat bottle. Thank you Santa (Alice)! You always know what I want. A note of caution on our review, we are just recovering from Covid and wine has just started tasting good to us again within the past week, so our taste buds may not be quite up to par yet. (The real tragedy is that we came down with Covid on day 3-4 of a 10 day California wine country vacation. We spent the rest of our vacation, miserable, holed up in our condo). The Waypoint Bell Road Vinyard Zin from Amador County (2020) presents with aromas of cherry, pepper, anise, and a hint of mint. Upon opening it was very fruit forward, almost jammy. There were notes of black cherry, black berry, and pepper. It was surprisingly mellow for an ABV of 14.5. This wine seems a bit low on acidity. Over the course of dinner (lamb chops) the jammyness subsided, improving the flavor of the wine. Our son, who usually goes for fruity wines, agreed that the flavor improved with breathing. We left 1/3 of the bottle for 24 hours, corked but not vacuumed. By the second evening, the wine tasted bitter/astringent. We could not finish it. Again, this might be our Covid recovery instead of the wine. the next late morning (to write this review), the wine tasted much better to me with measured fruitiness, slight heat, mildly peppery, notes of plum, dark cherry, vanilla, and oak with mild tannins. Overall, the Waypoint 2020 Zin was a pleasant wine after having a chance to breathe at least 20 minutes. The flavors continue to mellow with time. This is a fine every-day Zin, especially if you like your Zin fruit forward.
IIRC, the “ancient vineyard with that name nearby” belongs to Scott Harvey’s ex-wife and is (mostly) the source for his 1869 Zinfandel.
@chipgreen
That’s what I recall as well.
Interesting they use the name but not the fruit. I think there is a lengthy story there…
@chipgreen @rjquillin IIRC, Noceto also makes an OGP utilizing Grandpére fruit as well
@chipgreen @coolac5 @rjquillin and andis does as well, and another winery from Lodi used to be on the list. Huge variations from each
@chipgreen @coolac5 @rjquillin yes. To all of it.
IIRC there was a dispute where the final resolution ended that Scott got to keep using the fruit from the OGP vineyard but not the name. Renwood kept the name as a trademark but I think Scott’s ex refused to sell the fruit to them eventually. Renwood also took cuttings and created their own descendant vineyard from it.
I think 4 wineries get the fruit now: Scott, Noceto, Andis, and Macchia.
Definite different Renwood. Renwood sold their winery in Plymouth ( very cool tasting room also) a few years backand, I believe 20 acres? There were also some very good Zins, but, in my opinion, not as good as when Scott Harvey was at the helm in the 90’s and giving Paul Draper a run for the top dog of Zins ( only my opinion).
Unintentionally did not include “sold their winery to Rombauer” a few years back."
@Leatherchair Rombauer?! Oy!
Maybe it’s just me but when I read
" “Grandpère” is the proprietary name of our top Zinfandel, pulled from two specific blocks from the estate vineyard"
And then see a 10,000 case production, I just don’t jive.
@deadlyapp
With 10% Petite Sirah, there are only 9,000 cases worth of Zinfandel.