Blueberry? Vanilla? Anodyne aromatic attributes, anyone? They’re certainly present if not dominant, but the wine’s neither simple nor simply understood. (For that matter, if I could explain "the story behind the label: I would, but I don’t get it myself.) Not quite mute initially, it opens and evolves; never hot, the alcohol seems surprisingly moderate, the tannins well to the background. The blueberry tones dissipate and levitate, as a debauched Victorian aristocrat in Upper Tibet. To join the oak vanilla comes …Bristlecone pine bar tea? It’s a high wine: I’m fascinated by it* Its remarkable palate persistence–call it finish if you must, I pomace not to argue–gives me some hope of unusual longevity. For the wine, that is.
*No I’m not high (Secretly Stillman distills sub-sea level.)
Specs
Vintage: 2023
Varietals: 50% Syrah & 50% Petite Sirah
Appellation: Willow Creek District, Paso Robles
Alcohol: 16.7%
Total Acidity: 6.4 g/L
2023 Zeppelin Winery Darwinian Six Petite Sirah
Tasting Notes
“Raspberry, coffee, pepper.” Soliciting opinions, I was, trap shut and teeth aligned. A desert fox, “Backhoe Ben” might be a mite parched sometimes, of a summer’s day when the water pipeline from Darwin Falls goes dry at the business end, an honest thermometer hunts for a cave with dependable air conditioning, and the only tourists are German. But this was early March, and besides, the man’s got a palate. He liked this wine, offering synonyms for ‘drinkable’ - a UC Santa Cruz philosophy major, pas de merde—but when I injected ‘poundable’ into the first available silent second, he repeated it, pounding the table. I don’t believe it was ethanolic enthusiasm: he’d barely consumed a pound of the wine.** A California Coastal Cajun, “Swamp Siren” said it had some characteristics of her favorite Zinfandels. Given the interplanting of Zin and Petite Sirah back in the day… but no. It’s a compliment nevertheless.
*3/5 of a bottle. In the Metric system, the displacement of the German battleship Scharnhorst: 38 million liters, give or take.
Specs
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Petite Sirah
Appellation: Tuolumne County (Grenouille Vineyard)
Alcohol: 16.3%
Total Acidity: 6.7 g/L
What’s Included
3-bottles:
1x 2023 Zeppelin Winery Autopilot Error Red Blend
2x 2023 Zeppelin Winery Darwinian Six Petite Sirah
Case:
4x 2023 Zeppelin Winery Autopilot Error Red Blend
8x 2023 Zeppelin Winery Darwinian Six Petite Sirah
Zeppelin Winery is a very small producer of super premium wines, based on the Central Coast of California. Founded in 2009 by winemaker Stillman Brown of Red Zeppelin Winery and wine veteran Dan Lewis (he’s the office guy) they produce tiny lots of Syrah and other misunderstood varietals, with almost invariably insane labels. Most can only be purchased directly, but once in a while, they emerge into the light of day.
Zeppelin Winery is a risibly small producer (a parking garagiste, if you valet neologisms) of super-duper* premium wines, primarily from two recently concocted sub-appellations of west Paso Robles that split the hidden Hill of Graceland vineyard and currently attempting to grow two species of Vitis in Death Valley National Park.
Visitors are generally discouraged, especially if they are unlucky enough to find us. There is no tasting room. Sales are almost exclusively to our email list - there is no club to quit. And yet here we are on Casemates, as a new fan or forty is always good to have.
*Super wines that only a dupe would pass up. The term enjoyed some popularity amongst sommeliers but was soon eclipsed by the Biodynamic lunacy, which was followed by the Natural Wine infection, which will shortly give way to a fad for - Fecal Fermentation.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, 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
You left out the footnote on the metric equivalent of the pound of wine Ben had consumed? Apparently, later on he managed over two pounds - I left early, elderly ethanolic that I am - but the metric joke was to die for.**
It’s on the consumer invoice that the lucky consumers will receive, though.
**Not always Gloriously. Capitalized, that reference is not so funny.
As always, thanks to WineDavid and Alice for the golden ticket and opportunity to share what we learned about this offer.
We received the 2023 Zeppelin Winery Darwinian Six Petite Sirah
Luckily, it arrived a week ahead of this offer, so we could at least think through pairings. Also, once we noted that this was a 2023 100% petite sirah, we made a plan to have it over a couple days.
First, the label is beautiful, but just the one - no front and back.
Also there is no capsule, which seems to be becoming a trend, though there is a dab of wax on the top of the natural cork.
On first very small pour, the wine is a beautiful medium-dark purple color.
The nose is blackberry and cassis, maybe with some cloves or other rich spiciness.
The first sip from a direct pour into the glass was very high heat from alcohol (label shows 16.3%!), a ton of face puckering tannins, and then a pepper and black fruit finish. This was not unexpected at all, given the youth and the varietal.
The next small pour was through the vinturi. Not much change on the nose, though possibly some additional depth to the scents. The flavor profile improved a bit, as while the tannins were still massive, at least they didn’t completely obliterate the fruit. Again, not unexpected.
We poured about half the bottle into a decanter. We continued sampling for the next hour as we sat down to dinner, both directly from the decanter and through the vinturi. I think I preferred the wine the most after about 30ish minutes in the decanter, and then through the vinturi. This was also when we were eating the pot roast, so I’m sure there was a correlation there. At that point, the wine was loads of dark fruits running to black currant, still heaps of tannins, but much less sharp and starting to really integrate, fresh cracked black pepper and just a bit of sweet clove spice. Super long finish and plenty of acid to support the richness of the food.
The other half of the bottle was kept on the counter in the bottle into the next day. A full 24 hours later, simply poured into a glass and tasted, the wine was very similar to my preference the night before. The tannins were still very much in evidence, but significantly mellower, the fruit was now center stage, mixing more red with the dark and the spices.
From Michelle:
First day: Love the label. Looks like a piece of art from Monet.
Pop and pour. Smells good. Berry? VERY mouth puckering tart.
Through the vinturi on pop and pour, I find it less tart. After a few minutes in the glass, berry is definitely starting to come through. I quite like it. Definitely still tannins. But not horribly so. Legs disappear pretty quickly.
Sitting in my glass a few minutes longer, I’m still enjoying it.
After about 30 minutes in the glass, it’s back to a bit of mouth puckering.
The 15 year old- Scrunched up nose. Lot of the dry stuff. Also a bit of the watery. (we’re trying to determine if she means more body or acidity)
Wine day 2. Teen says it got more watery. I still find a lot of dry mouth feel. Not sure I prefer it as much today, but that tracks with my preferences. It’s a super pretty color.
After about 30 minutes, Teen says it makes her mouth water after she drinks it. It has tannins but less now.
All in All, this was a really lovely treat to get to try. Though I have to admit I always feel that tasting this type of bottle is a bit of infanticide and maybe not the easiest to determine where it may go in another 7 or 10 or 15 years. Full disclosure, I am still hoarding a few bottles of 2009 Black Zeppelin in my cellar, so clearly enjoy more mature PS.
@jasisk Though I really like a PS, I only like them with at least 8 years of age. I have to let the tannins resolve before I have any hope of enjoying them. +points for lack of capsule. I am definitely on the Ban the Capsules bandwagon.
I’ve loved Stillman’s wines since the old wine.woot days. I had to pick this up, though given the varietal and ABV it’ll probably sit for at least a few years. I have a feeling it’ll be twice as good in 2030.
@PetiteSirah@xiaodown
(blush) that’s me at compliments, not the wine!
Though I have had an, er, off-dry pink made from PS, grapes picked after a heavy rain in Paso in '94. Thirty years, and unforgettable.
Worthless, but not evil.
Wow, one of the few times that Swilly is putting up bottles here before dropping them on the email list. Don’t want too many people getting wine, more for us irreverent worshipers of the red swill! The only question is, one case or 2 or 3??
@Springbank That might be misunderstood, even on this side of the border.
Cue up “Come A Little Bit Closer” for cringeworthlessness
(Vamos! Jose’s on his way.)
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Zeppelin Winery Mixed Reds - $60 = 14.99%
A few words about Zeppelins. Named after a German engineer who designed rigid airships - consisting of a metal frame containing a number of attached gas (hydrogen) bags, and wrapped with a fabric. Two most famous are the Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg.
The USA also made rigid airships most famous of which were the Akron and the Macon.
And of course, we have the non-rigid airships we call Blimps - generally a thicker outer envelope which acts as a large gas bag (using non-flammable helium) Think Goodyear.
Fun fact: All of the above can be called a dirigible. Though it sounds a bit like “rigid”, the derivation of the word comes from the Latin derego - meaning to steer (as opposed to balloons that just travel with the wind)
Labrat Error: I wrote down the wrong date for when this was going live! Apologies for my tardiness. I guess I was operating on autopilot?
TLDR: buy it if you’ve got the space and the cash! Plan to hold for plenty of time to come.
I received a Labrat package and my recent mystery offer arriving the same day—zoinks! Starting with the label, it appears the goods inside may be otherworldly.
Upon opening, there’s… subtlety? Not what I was expecting from this 50/50 blend of Syrah & Petit Sirah. Notes of berry and dark fruit on both the nose and palate, but both the aroma and flavor are muted. Tanins sure, but again, not the amount expected—we hypothesis that the Syrach is really elbowing its way to the front to the taste. Knowing that there was plenty to be discovered, we decided to let it breathe in the bottle for a bit while we whipped up some pizza dough for dinner.
Coming back about an hour later, the wine is quite enjoyable, and at a steep 16.7, it makes for a dangerously enticing pour. Oak, dark berries, delicious. I can pick up a few other flavors in the bouquet, but nothing I can readily identify. I will say I keep waiting for a strong finish that never seems to come. While the Petit Sirah shows its structure and flavor, especially on day two, this isn’t overly dry, or even a pepper bomb as some can be. Somehow straight forward and also nuanced with each sip, I have to steal “neither simple nor simply understood” straight from the Vinter’s description. This wine really cloaks the high ABV in a way that few can do well and leaves you with a “what else is in there?” that I think is only going to be answered by years in the bottle. It matched perfectly with pizza one night and a grilled medley the next—smooth, complex, yet utterly approachable addition to dinner. (And as a glass on its own once the meal is over.)
Given how the wine opened up over two days, it seems like it could continue to do so for another several days had I the quantity and/or the willpower that would allow for such an experiment. Let this wine get “lost in space” of your cellar for several trips around the sun and come back in a decade? or later.
Thanks to Zeppelin, Alice, and WD for the opportunity to rat. Again, apologies to all for the late post on this quick sale!
@Aureliano why, thank you? I haven’t quite figured this wine out myself, but hope to live long enough to see what it’s like when I’m (very) old. It’s a delight and a mystery as is, I hope…
@ZeppelinWinery another phrased used during tasting was “unremarkably remarkable.” The wine was great, but also so understated and yet packed-in with every sip that we couldn’t quite identify just why it was so alluring. Maybe we’ll know come time for next pass of Halley’s Comet?
2023 Zeppelin Winery Autopilot Error Red Blend
Tasting Notes
Specs
2023 Zeppelin Winery Darwinian Six Petite Sirah
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $776/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, 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, Apr 21 - Thursday, Apr 24
I rode my new dirt bike yesterday, and didn’t crash it.
@ZeppelinWinery ah Stillman.
@Winedavid49 When Elvis died, one Hollywood publicist not to be named said, “Good career move.”
@ZeppelinWinery Nice, looks like you are having fun in Death Valley!
@outdoorslife I’m trying! I haven’t crashed the bike yet though.
Rescuing my Death Valley Syrah planting, that is!
(As it gets hotter, I will switch to a Zardoz look.)
@ZeppelinWinery sisqo approves
You left out the footnote on the metric equivalent of the pound of wine Ben had consumed? Apparently, later on he managed over two pounds - I left early, elderly ethanolic that I am - but the metric joke was to die for.**
It’s on the consumer invoice that the lucky consumers will receive, though.
**Not always Gloriously. Capitalized, that reference is not so funny.
@ZeppelinWinery I see it now. Sorry!
Zeppelin Winery Mixed Reds
3 bottles for $99.99 $33.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $339.99 $28.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2023 Zeppelin Winery Autopilot Error Red Blend
2023 Zeppelin Winery Darwinian Six Petite Sirah
checking in!
As always, thanks to WineDavid and Alice for the golden ticket and opportunity to share what we learned about this offer.
We received the 2023 Zeppelin Winery Darwinian Six Petite Sirah
Luckily, it arrived a week ahead of this offer, so we could at least think through pairings. Also, once we noted that this was a 2023 100% petite sirah, we made a plan to have it over a couple days.
First, the label is beautiful, but just the one - no front and back.
Also there is no capsule, which seems to be becoming a trend, though there is a dab of wax on the top of the natural cork.
On first very small pour, the wine is a beautiful medium-dark purple color.
The nose is blackberry and cassis, maybe with some cloves or other rich spiciness.
The first sip from a direct pour into the glass was very high heat from alcohol (label shows 16.3%!), a ton of face puckering tannins, and then a pepper and black fruit finish. This was not unexpected at all, given the youth and the varietal.
The next small pour was through the vinturi. Not much change on the nose, though possibly some additional depth to the scents. The flavor profile improved a bit, as while the tannins were still massive, at least they didn’t completely obliterate the fruit. Again, not unexpected.
We poured about half the bottle into a decanter. We continued sampling for the next hour as we sat down to dinner, both directly from the decanter and through the vinturi. I think I preferred the wine the most after about 30ish minutes in the decanter, and then through the vinturi. This was also when we were eating the pot roast, so I’m sure there was a correlation there. At that point, the wine was loads of dark fruits running to black currant, still heaps of tannins, but much less sharp and starting to really integrate, fresh cracked black pepper and just a bit of sweet clove spice. Super long finish and plenty of acid to support the richness of the food.
The other half of the bottle was kept on the counter in the bottle into the next day. A full 24 hours later, simply poured into a glass and tasted, the wine was very similar to my preference the night before. The tannins were still very much in evidence, but significantly mellower, the fruit was now center stage, mixing more red with the dark and the spices.
From Michelle:
First day: Love the label. Looks like a piece of art from Monet.
Pop and pour. Smells good. Berry? VERY mouth puckering tart.
Through the vinturi on pop and pour, I find it less tart. After a few minutes in the glass, berry is definitely starting to come through. I quite like it. Definitely still tannins. But not horribly so. Legs disappear pretty quickly.
Sitting in my glass a few minutes longer, I’m still enjoying it.
After about 30 minutes in the glass, it’s back to a bit of mouth puckering.
The 15 year old- Scrunched up nose. Lot of the dry stuff. Also a bit of the watery. (we’re trying to determine if she means more body or acidity)
Wine day 2. Teen says it got more watery. I still find a lot of dry mouth feel. Not sure I prefer it as much today, but that tracks with my preferences. It’s a super pretty color.
After about 30 minutes, Teen says it makes her mouth water after she drinks it. It has tannins but less now.
All in All, this was a really lovely treat to get to try. Though I have to admit I always feel that tasting this type of bottle is a bit of infanticide and maybe not the easiest to determine where it may go in another 7 or 10 or 15 years. Full disclosure, I am still hoarding a few bottles of 2009 Black Zeppelin in my cellar, so clearly enjoy more mature PS.
@jasisk Though I really like a PS, I only like them with at least 8 years of age. I have to let the tannins resolve before I have any hope of enjoying them. +points for lack of capsule. I am definitely on the Ban the Capsules bandwagon.
@jasisk I too have a few Black Zeppelins, but mine are from 2005! I should really get around to those one of these days.
any one want to split in SF?
Acidic-yellow-parent
Thanks Swilly.
motley-appalling-warlord
I’ve loved Stillman’s wines since the old wine.woot days. I had to pick this up, though given the varietal and ABV it’ll probably sit for at least a few years. I have a feeling it’ll be twice as good in 2030.
possessive-unwieldy-advice
@xiaodown I have bottles of swill in my cellar that even Swilly doesn’t have anymore.
They are of course guarded by a one-of-a-kind, handmade, cardboard cutout of Creepy Uncle Stillman™
@PetiteSirah @xiaodown
(blush) that’s me at compliments, not the wine!
Though I have had an, er, off-dry pink made from PS, grapes picked after a heavy rain in Paso in '94. Thirty years, and unforgettable.
Worthless, but not evil.
@xiaodown @ZeppelinWinery Aaron Jackson made a Swell PS rose in 2009 and it was so damn good.
@PetiteSirah @xiaodown I remember it! Agreed!
Wow, one of the few times that Swilly is putting up bottles here before dropping them on the email list. Don’t want too many people getting wine, more for us irreverent worshipers of the red swill! The only question is, one case or 2 or 3??
@outdoorslife yes
/showme huge-obscure-pot sloshing over with red wine in death valley
@mediocrebot TARTARIC ACID FLASHBACK!
I want this. I don’t need it at all, but I do want it.
/giphy abundant-slimy-fern
@Springbank That might be misunderstood, even on this side of the border.
Cue up “Come A Little Bit Closer” for cringeworthlessness
(Vamos! Jose’s on his way.)
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Zeppelin Winery Mixed Reds - $60 = 14.99%
IF YOU DON’T BUY SWILL FROM SWILLY IDLE YOU ARE A BAD PERSON AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD.
(Also, your liver will be sad)
Since you didn’t ask …
A few words about Zeppelins. Named after a German engineer who designed rigid airships - consisting of a metal frame containing a number of attached gas (hydrogen) bags, and wrapped with a fabric. Two most famous are the Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg.
The USA also made rigid airships most famous of which were the Akron and the Macon.
And of course, we have the non-rigid airships we call Blimps - generally a thicker outer envelope which acts as a large gas bag (using non-flammable helium) Think Goodyear.
Fun fact: All of the above can be called a dirigible. Though it sounds a bit like “rigid”, the derivation of the word comes from the Latin derego - meaning to steer (as opposed to balloons that just travel with the wind)
@woopdedoo A is for Rigid Airframe, B is for b-LIMP
It’s always worth it to sample what Stillman produces. I have tooo much wine, so only a three pack for me.
2023 Zeppelin Winery Autopilot Error
Labrat Error: I wrote down the wrong date for when this was going live! Apologies for my tardiness. I guess I was operating on autopilot?
TLDR: buy it if you’ve got the space and the cash! Plan to hold for plenty of time to come.
I received a Labrat package and my recent mystery offer arriving the same day—zoinks! Starting with the label, it appears the goods inside may be otherworldly.
Upon opening, there’s… subtlety? Not what I was expecting from this 50/50 blend of Syrah & Petit Sirah. Notes of berry and dark fruit on both the nose and palate, but both the aroma and flavor are muted. Tanins sure, but again, not the amount expected—we hypothesis that the Syrach is really elbowing its way to the front to the taste. Knowing that there was plenty to be discovered, we decided to let it breathe in the bottle for a bit while we whipped up some pizza dough for dinner.
Coming back about an hour later, the wine is quite enjoyable, and at a steep 16.7, it makes for a dangerously enticing pour. Oak, dark berries, delicious. I can pick up a few other flavors in the bouquet, but nothing I can readily identify. I will say I keep waiting for a strong finish that never seems to come. While the Petit Sirah shows its structure and flavor, especially on day two, this isn’t overly dry, or even a pepper bomb as some can be. Somehow straight forward and also nuanced with each sip, I have to steal “neither simple nor simply understood” straight from the Vinter’s description. This wine really cloaks the high ABV in a way that few can do well and leaves you with a “what else is in there?” that I think is only going to be answered by years in the bottle. It matched perfectly with pizza one night and a grilled medley the next—smooth, complex, yet utterly approachable addition to dinner. (And as a glass on its own once the meal is over.)
Given how the wine opened up over two days, it seems like it could continue to do so for another several days had I the quantity and/or the willpower that would allow for such an experiment. Let this wine get “lost in space” of your cellar for several trips around the sun and come back in a decade? or later.
Thanks to Zeppelin, Alice, and WD for the opportunity to rat. Again, apologies to all for the late post on this quick sale!
Also, remember:
@Aureliano why, thank you? I haven’t quite figured this wine out myself, but hope to live long enough to see what it’s like when I’m (very) old. It’s a delight and a mystery as is, I hope…
@Aureliano The theme music from TV’s Lost In Space made John Williams’ rep, but he was no Ennio Morricone.
@Aureliano (Cue Dr. Smith trying to talk his way out of getting shot.)
@ZeppelinWinery another phrased used during tasting was “unremarkably remarkable.” The wine was great, but also so understated and yet packed-in with every sip that we couldn’t quite identify just why it was so alluring. Maybe we’ll know come time for next pass of Halley’s Comet?
I have the darwinian 2 and 3 and now we’re at 6? I must have lost a few in the middle.
@deadlyapp Or maybe Swilly is trying to pull a fast one on everybody. You never know…
My experience with his wine is that it’s mediocre and over priced. Get rid of the hoopla and make a decent wine!
@Boatman72 there’s always one person
@Boatman72 @deadlyapp It’s an opinion. You can agree or not.
My experience with his wine is that it’s mediocre and over priced. Get rid of the hoopla and make a decent wine!
A Krusty Krab Training Video reference?
Repeated for effect, at that!