Stephen Tanzer:  Rated as "Outstanding - Extraordinary".

"Bright ruby-red. Aromas of exotic spices, black pepper liqueur and orange peel. Juicy, aromatic and fine-grained but quite tightly wound today. This boasts terrific lift and a deep core of cranberry fruit. High-toned, layered wine with a grand cru suavity. Strong notes of baking spices further lift the wine's fruit. Finishes with noble tannins. Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/Jun 06

Winery:  "Sonoma's first famous Zinfandel, made in 1862 by William Hill, was grown in this vineyard. These vines - probably Sonoma's oldest - turn out remarkable wines. Old Hill Vineyard contains 14 different varieties, but is blended to be 75% Zinfandel. It had Rhone-like intensity with blackberry, black pepper, vanilla, coffee, smoky, and mint scents.

This Old Hill Zinfandel is a well-balanced, complex wine that will age very nicely. The wine keeps unfolding each time you put your nose in the glass. You'll notice an array of scents and flavors in this wine; most notably mulberry and blackberry. There's even subtle nuance of mint. A great dinner partner, it is lovely to be consumed now or put down for years to come."

Wired For Wine: One of the most fascinating things about the 14 acre Old Hill vineyard is that it is not strictly Zinfandel. It�s mostly planted with Zinfandel but more than a dozen other varieties are planted there too, making wines from the vineyard true field blends.  First planted around 1880, it  produces a wine which is big, rich, deep, generous, complex, uncompromising, apparently immortal and inarguably inimitable!

If you're already worn out from Thanksgiving preparations, we suggest you kick back and just order in some Szechuan Kung Pao or Thai red curry chicken and let this powerhouse Zinfandel blend do all the work.  If you're up for a tad more effort, grill some of your favorite steaks, sausage, or other red meats, and you will be richly rewarded.  We fired up some juicy Delmonico steaks over the weekend which would have been perfect for this big, rich, full-bodied Zinfandel blend.

Size:  750 ml
Vintage:  2004
Varietal:  75% Zinfandel with Mataro, Carignane, Grenache, Alicante Bouschet, Petite Sirah and various others
Alcohol:  14.9%
Barrel aging:  15 months in French oak
Region:  Sonoma Valley, California
Production:  1,095 dozen