2017 Elyse Winery Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 750 ml

Ridge and Rafanelli, Turley and Biale: We’d jump out of our chair to answer a call from any of those Zinfandel legends—but we move just as quickly when it’s Elyse on the other end. 

Elyse Winery is “Inside Napa” at its very best. Little-known outside the 707 area code but hailed as an “under-the-radar, high quality producer” by Robert M. Parker, Jr., they’ve become one of our go-to boutique wineries because they deliver small-production wines of serious quality.

That’s why two weeks ago, 21 minutes after our phone rang, we were tasting at Elyse’s place in Yountville. Two minutes after that, we’d struck a deal for their 2017 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, an ancient-vine red that could have easily gone to their devout mailing list and a few favorite restaurants. But our constant sellouts have put Wine Access members at the top of Elyse’s list.

We’re in the middle of the Golden Age of old-vine Zin, which means that more and more of California’s great winemakers are seeking out the state’s heritage sites—and bottles like this one just aren’t coming at this price anymore. 

Sourced from the Dry Creek neighborhood that Ridge and Rafanelli call home, this bottle’s got the ripeness and concentration, the spice and complexity, and the outright anytime drinkability we adore in old-vine California Zin. With tons of layered black fruit and wild herbs, a seductive and broad structure, and the perfect touch of tannins, toast, and oak spice, it’s a winter warmer that hits the spot on its own, and will shine bright with braised meats and ribs off the grill. 

Our previous offers have shown how elegantly Elyse Zinfandels age, so it’s your call: Pop your bottles as soon as the urge strikes, or cellar them for a few years and enjoy the evolution. Either way, don’t sleep on this offer, because while there’s no hurry in opening your bottles, this tiny allocation won’t last long.

Elyse first won us over with their single-vineyard Cabernets. But when we met founder Ray Coursen for lunch in Yountville early this year, we were dazzled by the perfectly mellowed, dried-fruit-laden Zinfandel he’d brought along for the occasion. Elyse, which Ray started in 1987 and sold to Yountville local Josh Peeples in 2018, already had our attention, but that impeccably aged bottle put their Zin on our radar for good.

For this one, they went beyond their usual Napa Valley sites to Dry Creek Valley, which has been known for Zinfandel for 140 years and is occupied by some of California’s most legendary producers. Elyse’s site of choice was the Carreras Vineyard, which was first planted back in 1906. Now consisting of 25 acres of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Alicante Bouschet, Carreras benefits from Dry Creek’s spectacular climate: The foggy mornings burn off into warm and sunny afternoons that imbue the ancient-vine Zinfandel with perfect ripeness, before the breezes pick up in the late evening, cooling the vines and keeping acid levels nice and brisk.

After a full year in 50% new French oak and a couple more in bottle, the 2017 Elyse Dry Creek Zinfandel is drinking beautifully, ready to delight on a moment’s notice, or slumber in the cellar and get even more interesting.