The Wine News:  "Promising bouquet of blueberry, caramel and vanilla. Juicy blueberry echoes on the palate with infused spicy highlights. Prominent cherry and cedar notes that are supported by a great acid structure. A hint of sweetness accents the pretty finish. $30"

Winery:   "Wild Oak, the site of our Winery in Sonoma Valley, was named to honor Sonoma’s Heritage Oak trees. Wild Oak wines by St. Francis are created from grapes that have been hand-picked from small lots of elite terroir bordered by these Heritage oaks throughout Sonoma County. This Zinfandel, also known as California’s Heritage grape, is a classic Sonoma County Old Vines Zinfandel. Roughly 1/3 of the grapes are from our own Nuns Canyon Vineyard, located high above Sonoma Valley along a rich volcanic ridge, providing the tannin backbone along with mountain concentration of color and flavors. Another component of this old vine Zin blend is from the Russian River Valley’s Bacchi Vineyard imparting a wild berry flavor and a slight note of Eucalyptus from the adjoining property. The remaining portion is from old vine Zin grapes grown on the Zichichi Family Vineyard of Dry Creek Valley, contributing typical black cherry flavors of the dry farmed Zins of that area. And finally a small amount of Syrah from our home vineyard Wild Oak is added contributing a flavorful counterpoint of earthiness to the final blend. "

Wired For Wine:  Just about the only thing that won't be happy next to the Wild Oak Old Vines Zinfandel is fish and seafood. Most everything else will work with this incredibly versatile red, but our first choice would be panfried pork chops next to mashed potatoes with crispy shallots.  It's also great with spicy meat dishes, so maybe a slow-cooked chili with some kick? Cheeseburgers are delicious with the Wild Oak too. This Zinfandel loves mushrooms as well, so a cheesy, thin crust mushroom pizza will nicely round out your trifecta.  And finally, the Zinfandel is delectible with hearty baked pasta dishes. Make your favorite lasagna and watch how quickly those bottles disappear. Because the Wild Oak is very nice with berries and berry sauces, we'll be having a mixed berry tart for dessert. Whipped cream?

Size:  750ml
Varietal: Zinfandel and some Syrah
Alcohol:  15.5%
Ageing:   14 months in American oak
Region:  Sonoma, California
Production:  1,700 dozen