1999 Ravenswood Winery Zinfandel Teldeschi Vineyard Dry Creek Valley

Dry Creek Valley. A fine follow up to last year's outstanding Zin crafted from grapes grown on Caterina and John Teldeschi's Sonoma vineyard, the 1999 version is a bigger, more bombastic wine whose focus begins and ends on chocolatey ripeness. It is simply loaded with complex coffee, spice, mineral and peppery elements, and it carries an extra dose of toughening tannin that calls to mind many of the winery's bottlings from the Old Hill vineyard. Heat comes crashing through at the end, but the wine remains rich throughout and moves comfortably top the front of the "bigger is better" class.

Saturated ruby-purple. Bright, purple aromas of blackberry, black cherry, violet, licorice and bitter chocolate. Then almost shockingly dense, fleshy and sweet, and still quite primary, with perfectly integrated acidity. Has the sheer fullness to partly hide its huge structure. Dense and powerful zinfandel, finishing with suave, spreading tannins and excellent length. This is carrying about 15.3% alcohol.