Established more than 30 years ago by legendary vintners Dan and Margaret Duckhorn, our roots run deep at Decoy. This California Zinfandel highlights a bright red-fruit and spice expression of Zinfandel. Reflecting the character of each growing season and the diversity of our vineyard sources, Decoy has established itself as a wine of distinction. From vine to bottle, we craft our wines to the highest standards, only using grapes from exceptional vineyards.

Wine Profile

Production Notes
Varietal Composition: 90% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah

Winemaker Notes
This tantalizing Zinfandel leaps from the glass with concentrated aromas of wild blueberry, blackberry, plum, vanilla and freshly cracked white pepper. The luxurious fruit and spice layers are echoed on the palate, where they glide across velvety tannins to a robust finish with just a hint of lingering sweetness.

Production
The growing season began with minimal winter rains and a mild spring. With drought conditions throughout California, we carefully tailored our vineyard practices to ensure balanced crop loads. With slightly elevated temperatures, budbreak at our North Coast vineyards was approximately two weeks ahead of the cooler Central Coast. As a result, our North Coast harvest concluded on October 15th, with our harvest on the Central Coast wrapping up on November 6th. In both regions, the berries and clusters were smaller than average, producing lower yields but deeply concentrated flavors, aromas and textures. Overall, the resulting wines are of exceptional quality, with lovely balance, excellent natural acidity and bright, juicy flavors.

Maker Notes

Discover our Zinfandel's bold aromas, scintillating entry, and mouthwatering tasting notes.

TASTING NOTES: Vibrant Fruit, Spice, Hint of Chocolate

AROMAS: Ripe Red Cherry, Black Cherry, Blackberry, Black Pepper, Baking Spice

1000 Stories Zinfandel is released in batches to reflect a unique mix of grape varieties, vineyards, and bourbon barrels. No two batches are the same. The layered flavors of Zinfandel coupled with our bold barrel ageing method result in notes of cranberries, prunes, Marcona almonds, toffee, oregano and thyme.

Lodi’s historic old-vine Zinfandel sites contribute the largest portion of this blend, along with fruit from Mendocino County and San Luis Obispo. Warm afternoons in Lodi enhance the berry flavors while fruit from the cooler coastal regions bring softer characteristics and balance.

In the bold tradition of 1000 Stories, Batch 91 was aged in French and American oak barrels, then finished in aged bourbon barrels. Our Zinfandel Batch 88 is light to medium bodied with a soft tannin structure and lengthy finish.

The layered flavors of Zinfandel coupled with our bold barrel ageing method result in notes of cranberries, dark cherries, currants, cinnamon, vanilla beans, toffee and dried herbs.

WINEMAKING NOTES
> Aged in American and French Oak, then finished off in bourbon barrels.
> Pair with BBQ pulled pork sandwich or BBQ ribs.

TASTING NOTES

APPEARANCE & COLOR: Brilliant, vermilion red
AROMA: Cranberries, dark cherries, currants, cinnamon, vanilla beans, toffee and  dried herbs
PALATE: Light to medium-bodied with silky texture and long finish

CELLARING POTENTIAL: 3 years

Wilson Creek NV VS Cabernet Zinfandel Wine is a captivating blend that seamlessly combines the bold, concentrated fruitiness of Zinfandel with the structured depth of Cabernet Sauvignon. Part of the "Variant Series," this wine is designed to showcase variations on the classic style, delivering a rich and dynamic drinking experience. The 50/50 blend creates a harmonious balance, with Zinfandel’s jammy, vibrant fruit character complementing the robust, tannic framework of Cabernet Sauvignon.