The Wines
From our own vineyards, we produce Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel and Rattlesnake Ridge Petite Sirah. We combine our grapes with purchases from other Sonoma Valley producers to make SLATER Zinfandel. (In 2012, we again made a single vineyard wine from Dawn Hill Ranch.) Production is very limited.
2013
was a warm excellent growing season. Flavors are ripe and this year’s Petite Sirah
has already uncharacteristically integrated its skin tannins. With all our
wines, we keep the oak tannins light by using seasoned French oak barrels. We
age for 22 months in barrel and then another 18 months in bottle before
releasing. Petite Sirah’s skin tannins normally require a bit more age to
smooth out. At
the most recent tasting, the monster had entered a mellow, approachable period.
With time, it will reassert it’s Deep Purple, more complex, big wine
characteristics. No light cherry and currant notes here, it’s all dark
blackberry and blueberry. It’s good drinking now, but save some for
Thanksgivings through 2023.
DOUBLE GOLD, BEST OF CLASS - 2016 Harvest Challenge
Wine Club Price: $29.75
2013 Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel, Block 31Wine Club Price: $29.75
The first sensation is of full-bodied, concentrated mixed mountain
fruits, which - for whatever reason - reminds me of Montana huckleberries in late summer. As I’ve written many times, the DuPratt clone, which comprises this wine, is a long time preoccupation. With all our wines, we keep the tannins light by using seasoned French oak barrels. We age for 22 months in barrel and then another 18 months in bottle before releasing. Although it’s pleasant and approachable, decanting or a few hours of breathing — perhaps while watching music videos — will increase the complexity and breadth of flavors.
Bronze Medal at SF Chronicle Wine Competition
- Not sure what the wine was doing on judgment day - I love it. JB
Wine Club Price: $29.75
2013 Rattlesnake Ridge ZinfandelDouble Gold Medal at SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Wine Club Price: $29.75
2012 Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel2012 was such a pleasure for us in the cellar. After tough years in 2010-11, a normal growing season makes for a tasting and blending experience one looks forward to. This isn’t work. We used all five blocks: two Zinfandel clones, plus Petite Sirah, and we have the whole vineyard represented in its blackberry, blueberry, dark plum depth and complexity. Muted oak notes bring the fruit aroma forward.
Silver Medal at 2016 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Wine Club Price: $29.75
2012 Rattlesnake Ridge Petite Sirah
Silver Medal at 2016 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Wine Club Price: $29.75
2012 Sonoma Valley Zinfandel (né Slater)
Gold Medal at 2016 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Wine Club Price: $25.50
This vineyard near the southern tip of the Mayacamas is an integral part of the resurgence of Zinfandel in Sonoma Valley. Peter Haywood is the visionary who began planting about 100 acres of his 300 acre property in 1974. We have chosen Zinfandel blocks that provide a complex cross section of fruit flavors. Aromas of Bing cherries and blackberries with a hint of blueberries overlay the distinctly lean dark fruit structure. 2012 was a warm year, producing bold flavors, which we augmented with 22 months in seasoned French oak barrels.
Silver Medal at 2016 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Retail Price: $28.00Wine Club Price: $23.80
2012 was a warm summer, producing a bigger wine reminiscent of the 2002 vintage at Dawn Hill, but the usual characteristic flavors of cherry, strawberries and the dark fruit elements remain. The grapes for this wine are dry-farmed without irrigation, and the vineyard is planted with a mixture of DuPratt and Deaver clones alongside who-knows-what in the classic field blend tradition. Five percent of the vines are Petite Sirah, which is co-fermented with the Zinfandel, adding a rich texture and balance.
Double Gold Medal at 2016 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Retail Price: $30.00
Wine Club Price: $25.50
Our limited production 2012 Ratttlesnake Ridge Block 25 Zinfandel is planted to the DuPratt clone, which originates in a special part of Mendocino County, where it is own-rooted in sandy soil. 99% of vines in the world are grafted to phylloxera resistant rootstock, but sandy soil, like DuPratt Vineyard and the Sacramento River Delta, are not susceptible to the nasty little nematode at all. So the typical rootstock/variety combination is avoided, and the varietal clone makes its own roots. This special cuvee has deep aromas of blueberry and spice and a velvet flavor core of blackberries with light tannins.
Silver Medal at 2016 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Wine Club Price $29.75
2011 Sonoma Valley Zinfandel
We changed the name, but not the idea. As before, this vintage is a blend of three Zinfandel clones from different vineyards in Sonoma Valley and Moon Mountain: our own Rattlesnake Ridge in the new Moon Mountain AVA, Topolos from Sonoma Mountain and Haywood Estate from the south end of the Mayacamas. The differences in elevation and the broad range of clones and microclimates make a complex blend of aromas and flavors.
Wine Club Price $23.80
2011 Half Acre ZinfandelLong time customers will recognize our tractor label, which was the second label of 2006. When the wine in the bottle is so different from our single vineyard wines from prior years, we label them differently so we don't confuse drinkers' expectations. This wine opens with cherry aromas and flavors before it reveals hints of blueberries. It's lighter body pairs well with turkey, chicken and other lighter meals.
Retail Price: $18.00
Wine Club Price $15.00
2011 Half Acre Red WineThis wine is substantially Petite Sirah. It's still a bit tannic and closed, so I recommend a lengthy breathing that will reveal concentrated plum and cassis aromas, followed by the deeper flavors of dark berries and the heavier body typical of the variety. These wines are made from grapes from we have grown, but blended in different ways. They are somewhat lighter in style than our J.Baldwin wines, principally the result of the cooler growing season.
Wine Club Price $15.00
Gold Medal at 2014 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Retail Price: $28
Wine Club Price $23.80
The cool growing season produced fresh flavors and aromas more reminiscent of the southern Rhone Valley, where the variety Durif originated. Our 2010 crop was tiny, so enjoy the floral, blackberry aromas and the dense berry and plum flavors produced by the difficult growing season. The aroma when the cork is pulled reminds me of walking through the winery soon after fermentation has completed. Aged 18 months in 2nd and 3rd year French oak barrels. This wine is so unique among my Petite Sirah wines that I'm not sure how long it will gracefully age. The best advice is Hugh Johnson's: "Buy a case and keep checking on it as the years go on."93 Points - Richard Jennings RJonWine.com via cellartracker.com
Retail Price: $35.00
Wine Club Price $29.75
Very few cases remaining!!
Retail Price: $42.00
Wine Club Price $35.70
This is the second harvest of this vineyard. It is the first to include the DuPratt clone in the blend. Aged 21 months in French Oak, 20% new. The cool growing season produced a lean wine with very soft tannins, making the wine deceptively approachable. Black plums, licorice, a hint of cinnamon and a bit of Zinfandel spice. Gold Medal at 2012 Sonoma Harvest Fair
Silver Medal at 2012 San Francisco International
Retail Price $35.00
Wine Club Price $29.75
This is an encore presentation of an opaque, ripe, tannic, classic Petite Sirah, despite the cool summer of 2009.Aromas and flavors of blackberry and plum dominate this edition.91 Points Richard Jennings, RJonWine.com
Retail Price: $35.00
Wine Club price $29.75
2009 Slater is a blend of Zinfandels from Rattlesnake Ridge, Dawn Hill Ranch and Madrone Ridge. Each of the vineyards brings its own distinct flavors to the wine, which was aged for 21 months in 2nd and 3rd year French oak barrels. Gold Medal at 2012 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
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| Older Vintages | |
2008 Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel is youthful, but maturing into a wine of quiet intensity, emphasizing elegance and complexity. The flavor is deep, full of dark fruit notes of currant and black cherry, together with hints of licorice and tobacco. Aged in 100% new French Oak. It now has had enough bottle age to have integrated the tannins. Drink and enjoy. Last tasted 28 November 2011. Sold Out |  |
2008 Dawn Hill RanchZinfandel is lush showing ripe dark fruit flavors along with the cherry flavors that are characteristic of this vineyard. We aged it in used French Oak barrels for 18 months before bottling. Sold Out |  |
2008 Rattlesnake Ridge Petite Sirah is inky, complex and voluptuous. True to the variety, this wine is bold and tannic, and it will certainly benefit from some more time in bottle. The warm 2008 summer seemed perfect for developing classic flavors. Sold Out
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| 2007 Dawn Hill Ranch Zinfandel is medium to full-bodied with concentrated dark cassis and plum. Dawn Hill Ranch produces a lighter style than Rattlesnake Ridge, but the fruit and tannins are well integrated. It has been aged in barrel for thirty months. Gold Medal at 2011 SF Chronicle Wine Competition Sold Out |
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| 2006 Half Acre Zinfandel is Jane's favorite of all of our wines. It is much lighter and fruity than any of the Dawn Hill wines we have made. It is so different from the others that we have labeled it under this different brand. Its lighter style and bottle age make it very easy drinking as soon as you pull the cork. Raspberries and cherries backed up with a bit of spice. Sold Out |
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