Storybook Mountain Eastern Exposures Zinfandel 2017
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This special cuvee is presented to show just how elegant, fragrant and balanced Napa hillside Zinfandels can be. It is a step beyond vineyard designation, and represents style as much as place. It is the balance and finesse of east facing vineyards that give the wine its name. The selection criteria emphasize aroma, middle-palate and finish – berries with hints of flowers, minerals and spice in the aroma; multi-layered and rich flavor on the broad and supple middle palate; and an intense, clean and lingering impression on the finish. A touch of Viognier is added to enhance the intriguingly exotic and sensual quality of this very special wine.
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Wine & Spirits
The ruby color and the lasting rose-scented fruit of this wine share the cool vibrancy of grapes ripened in Napa Valley’s morning sun. The edgy mineral tannins provide a classical structure to that clean fruit intensity, adding notes of bay and madrone. Selected from the most aromatic lots of zinfandels at Story-book, this includes a small mount of viognier. Decant it to bring out the floral fragrance.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Very much cast in the somewhat claret-like style that is the winery’s signature trait, yet a Zinfandel that is not in the least sparing in deep and deliberate varietal fruit, the 2017 Eastern Exposures from Storybook Mountain may muster enough richness to tempt drinking before its time, but, it is, as usual, a structured and impeccably balanced wine whose complex and refined best lies some years ahead. Be in no hurry to pour it soon, and bet on it only getting better and better well into its second decade of life.
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Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.