J.Rickards Alexander Valley Zinfandel

I am a member of their wine club and these two wines are really a treat. He is making some of the best zins I am drinking right now.

Oh, I wish this included their port too! In for 1 maybe 2

J

thanks for your comment!

interesting fact: we tasted these in a line-up of 12 other bottles (other producers) and both of the J.Rickards Zins won the tasting. A big roshambo ensued over the leftovers that day…

Hi all!

This is Jon Rickards, I’m the son of Jim.

Thank you all for taking a look at our wines here on Woot! We are very excited to be here. I’m going to try to answer the questions I see out there before I head in to the winery this morning. Once again thanks for being here.

Jon

What’s the drinking window on these?

Generally speaking, our Zinfandels are crafted to be drank as soon as you purchase them. However, like a lot of Zins, I would generally say to drink them before 5 years.

I’m pretty new at understanding/decoding wine descriptions.

Would you say these wines are very rich in tannin?

Are they sweet or jammy at all?

My GF and I prefer dry, tannin rich, big bold wines. Do these fit that bill?

Thanks in advance…

Part of story, and what we are selling, which you can’t see by the label alone is the experience of my dad and I at the winery with our stories… well my dad is kind of a character and to top it off he has a bushy handle-bar mustache. For everyone who buys these wines, we will be sending in a set of coasters that have punch out handle-bar mustaches that you can wear…

I think that is pretty cool :smiley:

We have an amazing Petite Sirah too. My dad considers is one of the best he has ever had.

I bought before I saw this. This makes my day.

I’m not a sophisticated taster, but you will be amazed in the difference between these two wines considering that the vineyards are located really close to each other and they are compositionally similar. The main difference is the age of the vines.

I would not consider either of these wines to be big tannin bombs. The Ancestor’s Zin is a medium bodied wine with bright fruit and a balanced finish. The Old Vine is a full bodied wine with more of the jammy qualities but equally well balanced.

Thanks for coming on board Jim! Are these Zins similar in style to dutcher crossing, rochiolli, bella, woodenhead, j keverson or any other dry creek zins? I enjoy jammy, full bodied zins that tame the high alcohol! I am a big supporter of small productiOn wineries and am very intrigued! Also, i am a bit turned off when zins are overoqked and too vanillaish (i dont think this is a word!) what is your approcah to oak treatment? Thanks

Ok everyone, I’m going offline for now to head into the winery. I will be on periodically throughout the day.

My dad will probably log on sometime this evening. He is also a critical care nurse and he is doing his life saving duties today.

These sound great! Can’t wait to try them.

Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: narnett
Speed to first woot: 6m 26.790s
Last wooter to woot: rmt0512

Punch out handle-bar mustaches? Ok, that put me over the edge. I’m in.

These wines drink well now, but will age beautifully for 8-10 years. Both are what are called field blends, and the recipe that includes Zinfandel (80%), Petite Sirah, Carignane, Mataro and Alicante Bouschet started from the 1908 vines planted by the Brignoles on our ranch.

hmmmmm… seems contradictory. maybe two different winery reps?

and lol at the coaster mustache extra. if this is legit im auto in.

This is Jon again (Jim’s son). The first reply was me, and as I a said I’m not a sophisticated drinker.

The second reply was from Eliza, Jim’s wife. We are a small family winery, so we are all participating in this Woot event! This is our first time using this sort of media and we are all very excited about engaging you all.

jon

Here is a picture of my dad with some visitors and the famous mustaches!

(not sure if this will work, so you may have to cut and paste this into a new browser)