2018 Omen Zinfandel Origins Sierra Foothills 750 ml

The high-end wine world didn’t kick Alexandre Remy out.

He did it himself. 

Alex bolted the big-money sector to craft incredible, affordable wines from California’s best out-of-the way sites. The French-born winemaker couldn’t resist the Golden State’s untapped bounty. 

“I know too much about vineyard real estate now,” he told us. “Coming from France, where every vineyard has been mapped, it’s impossible for me to ignore these tiny hidden gems before they eventually get discovered—and inflate to their market value.”

He headed straight to California’s Sierra Foothills to craft wines like the 2018 Omen Origins Zinfandel, one of the most stunning under-$20 California wines we’ve tried. It flaunts a dark-fruit depth far beyond its price, with a brambly fruit character that soars with zesty acidity before a long, lingering finish.

With his experience as a technical consultant and fervor for crafting overachieving wine, Alex Remy is uniquely qualified to turn hidden terroir into incredible value. For this 2018, he chose 2,300-foot-high vineyards in the Sierra Foothills’ tiny Fair Play sub-AVA. The site boasts generous sunshine and well-draining decomposed-granite soils reminiscent of the Northern Rhône—factors that create beautifully aromatic Zinfandel. 

Alex has maintained luxe vineyard and cellar practices but stripped out every superfluous cost—down to the label design—that might drive up the wine’s price. He accented the 2018 Omen’s rich complexity and bright acidity with nine months in partially new French oak, bolstering the ripe fruit with an impressive structural sophistication.