2018 Titus Zinfandel Napa Valley 750 ml

We’re obsessed with Napa Valley’s plots of old-vine Zinfandel—especially those tucked in the prestigious areas famous for triple-digit-priced Cabernet. That’s because the conditions that yield great Cabernet do the same for Zin, but as lucrative Cab covers more and more of Napa Valley, these Zinfandel goldmines get harder to find. 

And that’s why we jumped at the chance to drive up to the Titus property north of St. Helena, where the family’s two blocks of 40-year-old vines produce some of the most berry-packed and peppery Zinfandel between Carneros and Calistoga. We’re thrilled that our trip netted Wine Access members an allocation of 100-point winemaker Phil Titus’s old-vine Zin from a gorgeous vintage.

When we arrived, Phil’s brother and partner Eric Titus tore into a fresh case and brought out a bottle from 2018, a vintage whose beautiful growing season and long hangtimes have Napa Valley devotees drooling. 

Two years past harvest, the Zinfandel strikes the perfect chord between intense ripeness and acid-driven energy, showcasing the concentration and peppery character that we prize in old-vine Zins. With the stuffing to pair with everything from pizza or a juicy burger to seared duck breast, Titus is poised to upstage your current go-to red.

Crafted by Phil (the mastermind behind the Coho and 100-point Chappellet wines), the 2018 Titus Zinfandel manages to surpass the promise of a blockbuster vintage. Pouring a mesmerizing shade of purple-ruby, it’s got a nose of ripe mixed berries accented by vanilla, clove, pink peppercorn, and fresh clotted cream that burst from the glass on the first swirl. Ripe on the palate, broad, and full-bodied, it’s framed by firm, chewy tannins that deliver lingering notes of pepper, vanilla, and five-spice. 

In the late 1970s, about a decade after settling in St. Helena, the Titus family bought a hayfield adjacent to their property and planted it to Zinfandel. At around the same time, they replanted an existing vineyard block to Zin, giving them eight total acres.

Those vines, now 40-plus years old, are still thriving, putting out gorgeous and balanced fruit. “We’re heavily influenced by proximity to the coast,” Eric said, as we swirled the tightly-knit yet fresh Zin, and marveled over the black pepper and licorice notes that adorn the ripe fruit. “We’ll get the hot days, but there’s usually a 40-degree differential—it’s gonna be in the 50s at night.” 

What results are impeccably balanced wines that are hard to find, and tend to disappear quickly into the cellars of smart wine lovers. We’re always on the lookout, and Eric and Phil’s 2018 Zinfandel is the exact kind of prize we love to bring back to our members. Today, it’s all yours.