2019 Renwood “Estate Ranch” Zinfandel, Amador County
Tasting Notes
Not black, but a saturated purple color with a red rim. On the nose, there’s freshness especially, with wild huckleberry, blackberry, and sweet plum aromas. More than that, there’s cherry pie and pie crust, warm sweet herbs, and a touch of vanilla. The aromas are echoed in the flavors, and the palate has soft, rounded edges, and a medium-full density. The finish is long, flowing, and generous with mulberries, blueberries, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Drinkable now, and even better in 3 years, or hold for up to 7 years for a fully mature Zinfandel experience.
Specs
Blend: 99% Zinfandel, 1% Petite Sirah – all from one vineyard, the Renwood Ranch, on Bell Road, in Plymouth, Amador County, California.
Region: Amador County
Aging: 16 Months Barrel Aged, 20% New French Oak
Fermentation: Stainless Tank Fermented at 70º for 12 days.
Alcohol: 14.5%
Bottling Date: January 28th, 2021
Case Production: 22,000
Winemakers: Alberto Antonini and Joe Shebl
What’s Included
4-bottles:
4x 2019 Renwood “Estate Ranch” Zinfandel, Amador County
Case:
12x 2019 Renwood “Estate Ranch” Zinfandel, Amador County
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $300/case MSRP
About The Winery
Winery: Renwood Winery
Founded: 1993
Renwood
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.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
It has become a joke that whenever we plan a trip away, it is a sure thing that a Casemates bottle is on the way! We received this lovely bottle on the day before a birthday trip out of town. Nevertheless, we were honored for the opportunity to rat!
Since the bottle was in a truck in 7˚ weather, it was a while before I dared open it. The bottle was heavy with broad shoulders; there was a wren wearing a crown on the label, a clever nod to the name of the winery. When opened, the natural cork had no staining on it, and the ruby wine had a sizeable water rim when held up to the light, possibly indicating some aging potential.
Given the color and the wine, I expected a fruity nose; instead, it was only alcohol – totally muted. Throughout our tasting, there was little to nothing doing in the olfactory department.
This wine spoke with one main voice: vanilla. Every time we took a sip, we overwhelmingly got silky vanilla – a rich, dark, smooth vanilla with an overtone of raspberries and an afternote of raisins. But vanilla, vanilla, silky vanilla. As for mouthfeel, it was an incredibly smooth wine that was nice and round and uniform.
The first glass was very enjoyable; the second glass was much more jammy and tasted more run-of-the-mill. Casemates has made me sensitive, and while I was impressed with the wine at first, it was disappointing by the end. The tannins dried the tongue more, and there was a slightly astringent aspect.
I expect that this wine, sold for $25 on the Renwood website, will sell for between $10 and $13 on Casemates. At that price, it would be a solid, daily-drinker wine. Thanks for the opportunity to rat this wine!
We were able to do a small glass tonight for comparison. The vanilla notes had mellowed a fair amount and the fruit came forward more. The nose was still muted, but I began to smell raspberry jam. The wine was still smooth, and the tannin dryness was still a late entry to the sip. As I said at first, the wine seems young – I just wish I had had the time to properly decant it. It was enjoyable with the spaghetti we had tonight. Sorry for the Day 2 delay, but thanks again for the opportunity.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2019 Renwood “Estate Ranch” Zinfandel - $45 = 21.42%
And Wine Spectacle…
89 Points. Zinfandel Amador County Renwood Ranch Estate 2019
Plush and briary, with appealing notes of blackberry, ripe guava and black licorice that finish with zesty tannins. Drink now through 2027. 11,000 cases made. — TF. 6/30/21
@deadlyapp@kaolis I think a winemaker in a previous offer said that “estate” also could include vineyards they contract with but have primary control over.
…as opposed to buying bulk “juice”
but yeah when some offers here are 25-200 cs produced, this is a big step into large production. Which doesn’t mean it’s bad. but it’s a lot different from “hey I found some barrels in the back of the winery and bottled ‘em for ya”
@kaolis@pmarin from what I could tell, this particular plot is 135 acres and all Zinfandel. A large part of renwood was purchased by rombauer who produces 300,000 cases a year
@deadlyapp@pmarin Actually I was referring to the casemates notes of 22,000 cases and the Wine Spectator note saying 11,000 cases. Either way a lot of wine but quite a difference no less.
We’ve been rebounding from some sickness around here so the review was a little delayed, but these are our slightly impaired thoughts.
First Whiff: Picking up cherry but not very strong, also an earthy/vegetal aroma, and a bit of alcohol.
First not so big Gulp: Low tannins, nice smooth mouthfeel, the cherry subtly came through, and finished with some peppery zip.
Drank a bit with some dark chocolate covered honey grahams from Trade Joe’s, which really brought forward the cherry and paired nicely.
The 1 hr revisit: The wine improved significantly, the flavors were much more cohesive and balanced with some vanilla on the finish. The alcohol had also faded.
Summary: The price is about what we were expecting and we’ll pick up a few bottles.
I really enjoyed Renwood when I visited Amador and joined their wine club, but I preferred the higher end offerings. Wine club ended when they sold. Looks like they sold the winery and tasting room to Rombauer, not the brand itself.
@aces219 We were in the same boat as we joined their club and enjoyed the wine very much. We’re way over stock right now so won’t be buying but we did like the juice from Renwood.
2019 Renwood “Estate Ranch” Zinfandel, Amador County
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $300/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Feb 7 - Tuesday, Feb 8
2019 Renwood “Estate Ranch” Zinfandel
4 bottles for $69.99 $17.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $164.99 $13.75/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2019 Renwood “Estate Ranch” Zinfandel
It has become a joke that whenever we plan a trip away, it is a sure thing that a Casemates bottle is on the way! We received this lovely bottle on the day before a birthday trip out of town. Nevertheless, we were honored for the opportunity to rat!
Since the bottle was in a truck in 7˚ weather, it was a while before I dared open it. The bottle was heavy with broad shoulders; there was a wren wearing a crown on the label, a clever nod to the name of the winery. When opened, the natural cork had no staining on it, and the ruby wine had a sizeable water rim when held up to the light, possibly indicating some aging potential.
Given the color and the wine, I expected a fruity nose; instead, it was only alcohol – totally muted. Throughout our tasting, there was little to nothing doing in the olfactory department.
This wine spoke with one main voice: vanilla. Every time we took a sip, we overwhelmingly got silky vanilla – a rich, dark, smooth vanilla with an overtone of raspberries and an afternote of raisins. But vanilla, vanilla, silky vanilla. As for mouthfeel, it was an incredibly smooth wine that was nice and round and uniform.
The first glass was very enjoyable; the second glass was much more jammy and tasted more run-of-the-mill. Casemates has made me sensitive, and while I was impressed with the wine at first, it was disappointing by the end. The tannins dried the tongue more, and there was a slightly astringent aspect.
I expect that this wine, sold for $25 on the Renwood website, will sell for between $10 and $13 on Casemates. At that price, it would be a solid, daily-drinker wine. Thanks for the opportunity to rat this wine!
@ejrunion Save any for a day two comparison?
@rjquillin I did, although it may be a later one. We have fly into Upstate NY after a blizzard, so we’ll see.
@ejrunion
We were able to do a small glass tonight for comparison. The vanilla notes had mellowed a fair amount and the fruit came forward more. The nose was still muted, but I began to smell raspberry jam. The wine was still smooth, and the tannin dryness was still a late entry to the sip. As I said at first, the wine seems young – I just wish I had had the time to properly decant it. It was enjoyable with the spaghetti we had tonight. Sorry for the Day 2 delay, but thanks again for the opportunity.
@ejrunion Thank for the rattage.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2019 Renwood “Estate Ranch” Zinfandel - $45 = 21.42%
22,000 cases is a lot of wine. A large tanker truck can hold 11,000 gallons. This is 52,000 gallons of wine.
at 80 grapes per pound and 17 pounds of grapes per gallon of wine, this vintage represents 70,720,000 grapes.
with stems …
Of course there is a WE review…
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/renwood-2019-renwood-ranch-estate-grown-zinfandel-amador-county/
fwiw
And Wine Spectacle…
89 Points. Zinfandel Amador County Renwood Ranch Estate 2019
Plush and briary, with appealing notes of blackberry, ripe guava and black licorice that finish with zesty tannins. Drink now through 2027. 11,000 cases made. — TF. 6/30/21
Note case production??
@kaolis big estate lol
@deadlyapp @kaolis I think a winemaker in a previous offer said that “estate” also could include vineyards they contract with but have primary control over.
…as opposed to buying bulk “juice”
but yeah when some offers here are 25-200 cs produced, this is a big step into large production. Which doesn’t mean it’s bad. but it’s a lot different from “hey I found some barrels in the back of the winery and bottled ‘em for ya”
@kaolis @pmarin from what I could tell, this particular plot is 135 acres and all Zinfandel. A large part of renwood was purchased by rombauer who produces 300,000 cases a year
@deadlyapp @pmarin Actually I was referring to the casemates notes of 22,000 cases and the Wine Spectator note saying 11,000 cases. Either way a lot of wine but quite a difference no less.
@deadlyapp @pmarin this seems to be a pretty simple explanation of estate here in the US of A…https://www.winemag.com/2020/01/28/is-estate-wine-better/
??
We’ve been rebounding from some sickness around here so the review was a little delayed, but these are our slightly impaired thoughts.
First Whiff: Picking up cherry but not very strong, also an earthy/vegetal aroma, and a bit of alcohol.
First not so big Gulp: Low tannins, nice smooth mouthfeel, the cherry subtly came through, and finished with some peppery zip.
Drank a bit with some dark chocolate covered honey grahams from Trade Joe’s, which really brought forward the cherry and paired nicely.
The 1 hr revisit: The wine improved significantly, the flavors were much more cohesive and balanced with some vanilla on the finish. The alcohol had also faded.
Summary: The price is about what we were expecting and we’ll pick up a few bottles.
@GraysonM thank you for reporting & hope you are all on the mend.
I really enjoyed Renwood when I visited Amador and joined their wine club, but I preferred the higher end offerings. Wine club ended when they sold. Looks like they sold the winery and tasting room to Rombauer, not the brand itself.
This is the new portfolio: https://www.newfrontierwines.com/Wines/Renwood
@aces219 We were in the same boat as we joined their club and enjoyed the wine very much. We’re way over stock right now so won’t be buying but we did like the juice from Renwood.