May 2004 | 94 points
“Dark red-ruby. Sappy aromas of raspberry, cranberry, pepper and spices. Dense and vibrant, with wonderfully deep, bright flavors of red berries, brown spices and pepper, complemented by subtle oak. Thick but utterly vibrant, and very long and pure on the aftertaste. Carries its 15.4% alcohol effortlessly. This wine’s wonderfully pure, superconcentrated fruitiness reminded me of some of Burt Williams’ great old vintages of Jackass Hill zinfandel. This was an attention-grabbing (and extremely reasonably priced) first set of releases from new superstar winemaker Eric Sussman, who told me that his focus will continue to be on pinot noir and syrah, and that he has no plans for additional zinfandel bottlings. Perhaps he will reconsider.”
–Stephen Tanzer