2012 Krutz Family Cellars Zinfandel Magnolia Series Napa Valley 750 ml

Rare 50- to 100-Year-Old-Vine Napa Valley Zinfandel — Al Capone and The Great Depression

When we were presented the 2012 Krutz Family Zinfandel Magnolia Series — drawn entirely from 50- to 100-year-old vines in Calistoga — we made it clear to the winery that with just 420 bottles available, the chances of a WineAccess feature were little to none. Then we tasted this 92-pointer and did what we rarely do any more. We made an exception. This is a rarity, one of the last of the great old-vine Calistoga Zins from the superb 2012 vintage in Napa Valley.

When the aphid-like pest phylloxera began ravaging Napa Valley’s vineyards for the second time in the 1980s, growers ripped out most of Calistoga’s Zinfandel and replanted with more lucrative Cabernet Sauvignon. Just a few plots of deep-rooted, gnarly, head-trained bush vines were spared, some of the oldest of which had been planted during the Great Depression. While Napa’s superb 2012 vintage has been called one of the most extraordinary in history for Cabernet Sauvignon, it was perhaps even more remarkable for old-vine Zinfandel, as is magnificently on display with this luscious new release from Krutz Family Cellars.

Drawn from five distinct vineyards, none less than 50 years of age, the richness and complexity of the 2012 Zinfandel “Magnolia Series” was quickly explained as we walked these five sites. “These vines are survivors,” we were told. “Many were planted years before Eliot Ness started chasing Al Capone. They battled and overcame phylloxera — twice. Then they were left intact for mostly sentimental reasons — as growers recognized that from an ROI perspective, Zinfandel is a poor cousin of Cabernet Sauvignon.”

How best to describe these vines? Planted on rocky slants and steep volcanic grades, artistically twisted, in most vintages each plant ekes out just a few thick-skinned clusters with berries of varied size and ripeness. But in 2012, a mild growing season where yields were bountiful and barely a drop of rain fell on Calistoga between June and early September, bunches ripened quickly and evenly. Berry size was uniform at harvest, with far higher juice-to-skin ratio than the norm, making for this fabulously rich, juicy, high-toned Zinfandel.

Dark purple. Ripe, fruit-forward aromas of blackberry and mountain blueberry, sprinkled with white pepper and sweet spices. Rich, dense, and intensely concentrated yet beautifully structured, in many ways Claret-like in form and texture, packed with black-fruit preserves, finishing with wonderful high-toned vivacity. Drink now-2022.

92 points from Wine Enthusiast. $26 on release. $19 today. 420 bottles.