2022 Andis Zinfandel Reserve Friedlander Block Sierra Foothills 750 ml

An ultra-ambitious project, Andis has become the pace-setter in Amador County because they’ve got the greatness trifecta firmly in place: State-of-the-art facility, check. Top-notch vineyard sources, check. And the 100-point winemaking talents of Philippe Melka and Maayan Koschitzky, check and check. 

The 2022 Andis Reserve Zinfandel from the Friedlander Block absolutely thrilled us when we tasted it. Grown on gnarled 50-year-old vines on the Andis property, it expresses the concentration of high-altitude (1,500 ft) viticulture, the complexity of ancient granite soils, and the vibrancy of a wine born of a flawless climate. 

This is Zinfandel done right, and it earned one of the more pointed and compelling tasting notes we’ve heard from a critic: “Great balance and a good, chewy texture give this taut and concentrated wine almost the feel of a Barolo,” wrote California maven Jim Gordon in his 94-point review for James Suckling.

Janis Akuna and her husband Andy Friedlander had the resources to make wine anywhere in California. But after discovering the raw, untapped potential of the Sierra Foothills, there was nowhere else they wanted to be.

The Sierra Foothills have all the ingredients of a world-class wine region—the high-altitude vineyards, ancient granite soils, and plenty of sunshine and dramatic diurnal variations—yet there wasn’t yet a luxury winery carrying the torch on the world stage. It was like Napa or Sonoma in the early 1970s.

Now Andis Winery, perched where cold mountain air meets sun-drenched slopes, is revealing this region's remarkable potential, thanks to the guidance of legendary winemaker Philippe Melka. The winery's state-of-the-art facility in Amador County showcases the unique combination of altitude, climate, and ancient soils that can produce wines of extraordinary character.

The 2022 Friedlander Block Reserve Zinfandel comes from old, gnarled vines planted in the mid-1970s. The plot is head-trained and dry-farmed, which results in very low yields of superbly concentrated grapes. It’s one of the greatest single-site Zinfandels you can get for anywhere near the price, and we’re thrilled to share it with you.