Named after the word ‘berry’ in Latin, BACA Wines is the latest winery project by legendary Napa producer HALL Wines. Their concept was to make wines that are sourced from great Zinfandel all over California, showing unique terroir and flavor profiles for the varietal. Zinfandel was conceived in Croatia but it is one of California’s truly unique grapes. HALL President, Mike Reynolds, talked about this exciting new Zinfandel project, stating “We were excited about making Zinfandel that is diverse, from different places. We are fond about these wines is that we like to show off the differences in terroir, which is the essence of what our winery is all about. We thought that the Zinfandel grape was a great medium to do that with.”
Mike and his team have created some really good new releases, both coming from the 2016 vintage. Each wines come from unique terroir and climates, one from Paso Robles and the other from the Russian River Valley. They are both excellent although I slightly preferred the 2016 BACA ‘Double Dutch Dusi Vineyard’ Zinfandel (WWB, 93) which showed tremendous warmth and really good range from this rocky vineyard site. Learn more about BACA Wines at https://www.bacawines.com Here are the great new Zinfandel wines by BACA wines.
2016 BACA ‘Double Dutch Dusi Vineyard’ Zinfandel- The wine is sourced from the esteemed Dusi Vineyard which is located on the southern end of Paso Robles, just on the west site of Highway 101. This is a dry farmed vineyard that was planted first in 1945. Soils are rocky at the vineyard site. This starts off with aromas of prune, stewed strawberry and touch of bramble. The palate shows wonderful bright acidity with a really plush mouthfeel. Red fruits dominate with touches of smoke and milk chocolate and well as a touch of orange peel. This is a highly complex Zin that is built for aging for another decade. Drink 2018-2028- 93
2016 BACA ‘Tug O’ War Maffei Vineyard’ Zinfandel- The Maffei Vineyard is located in the Russian River Valley, and was first planted in the 1940s. The site is slightly cooler. The wine shows a darker fruit profile with milk chocolate and stewed blackberry, with milk chocolate and a plush mouthfeel. Drink 2018-2024- 92