2017 Wingspan Moons of Neptune Old Vine Zinfandel California 750 ml

Expressive, bold, and generous—this is a classic California red that speaks for itself, even with all the pedigree and accolades behind it. We knew instantly it was an old-vine Zinfandel that Wine Access members would adore.

At our bargain price, this might be Aaron Pott’s greatest-ever bang for the buck.

Pott has been called many things in his career: “Napa’s Wine Whisperer” (Bloomberg), “The Mouth Behind Some of Napa's Best Wines” (Wall Street Journal), and even “Winemaker of the Year” (Food & Wine). One thing we didn’t know him as was a “Zinfandel genius,” but that’s exactly what we called him when we tasted his gorgeously bright and supple 2017 Wingspan Moons of Neptune Old Vine Zinfandel.

We weren’t alone—this wine was the belle of the ball at a recent “New California Wine” tasting at Napa’s Cadet wine bar and it’s tough to come by: Only 240 cases were made, most of which were earmarked for Wingspan’s devoted mailing list. The fact that Vinous critic Antonio Galloni awarded it 93 points, making it one of the highest scoring Old Vine Zinfandels of 2017, doesn’t make the task any easier.

It took a few weeks of persistent calls and texts expressing just that to Wingspan’s selective gatekeeper and owner Tessa Perliss, but we somehow managed to convince her to relinquish 75 of those cases.

Just about as radiant as Zinfandel can get, the layers of savory bramble, raspberry pie, and cocoa build into mountains of exuberant red cherry and tertiary licorice and tobacco that linger long after each sip. The multifaceted and rather serious palate structure takes you by surprise with its generous tannic structure and length—a hallmark feature of the wine’s 120-year-old vines.

That impressive complexity and length is also an Aaron Pott trademark. He’s made wine for a host of high-scoring Napa wineries like Blackbird, Quixote, Quintessa, and Seven Stones. He was also head winemaker at famed Bordeaux Châteaux Troplong Mondot and La Tour Figeac. Between the 2005 and 2017 vintages, Pott’s wines have scored 90+ points over 100 times and 93-96 points over 50 times from Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate. It’s no wonder that he counts legends like John Kongsgaard and Michel Rolland among his closest mentors.

Because he is one of California’s leading consultants, Pott can easily choose which clients to take on and which vineyards to work with. It’s no surprise then that he chose to work with Wingspan’s Tessa Perliss and Contra Costa’s Del Barba Ranch, the unruly, own-rooted, head-trained vineyard behind the 2017 Wingspan Moons of Neptune.

Planted in sand at the base of Mount Diablo, in what was once an ancient seabed (hence the sea-god Neptune reference in the name), the wines from this vineyard are always aromatically rich and complex. Their bright acidity and powerful, concentrated fruit has inspired top Zinfandel talents like Joey Tensley (Tensley) and Tegan Passalacqua (Turley and Sandlands).

But there’s only one Aaron Pott, and he has been making superlative wine up and down California for years, and as the high scores have rolled in, the prices have crept up. At $35, this 2017 Old Vine Zinfandel is a brilliant wine for an approachable cost of entry. But with our super limited allocation, don’t take this impressive Wingspan for granted.