Zahtila Vineyards Mixed Red 2-Pack
$59.99 (Normally $107.20) 44% off List Price
2007 Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon, “Barlow Vineyards”
2007 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
CT links above

Winery website

Can we please get some more specs on the Cab? PH, brix, etc? This looks an excellent Wednesday offering.

Been quite a while since we've seen Laura on WW. While we visited on the RPM tour last year, and tasted through a number of her mid level cabs on tour #2, I don't have notes that we tasted either of these Cabs, or if they were even available, or her high-end offerings. I recall she was undergoing a shift in where she was sourcing fruit as well. Yes, some additional tech notes would be most helpful. Hopefully we'll have her chime in later.

We were all over some of her dessert offerings during the visit.

I visited Zahtila Vineyards on the RPM tour and also later had a chance to taste this very zinfandel. Here are my notes:

Laura Zatila 2007 Dry Creek Zin (Oddone Vineyards) 15%alc

Pop and pour at cellar temp

Color: Deep for a zin (would be medium for a cab) Garnet red, good clarity.

Nose: Low to moderate. Dried Cherries, a hint of smoke and butterscotch underlaying the whole.

Palate: Fresh acidity upon first pour, medium body, dry, barest hint of soft tannin.
Very bright up front (almost a lime flavor) then the flavor tone drastically changes to dried plum and dried cherry with a bit of black pepper.


After an hour:
The nose has a bit of Eucalyptus to me (perhaps actually ethanol)
Palate drops the bright acidity (but still retains a good amount) and the tone on the palate has a much smoother profile with fresh plum followed by black pepper and dried fruits.

Overall: This zin has more complexity than most and I enjoyed it. If you like Scott Harvey's dry zins, you will probably like this one too.

I've enjoyed both Zin and Cabernet from Laura. Was a different vineyard of Cabernet but was very good!! (As was the Zin.)

I was also lucky enough to visit Laura and Michael at their vineyard during the rpm tour. I don't remember having that specific Zinfandel but we had the '07 Barlow Cab and it was excellent.

I left Zahtila with only 2 bottles and the Barlow Cab was one of them. This is an excellent deal for the Cab and a bottle of Dry Creek Zin.

I'm in for a set now and maybe another one or two later in the day (I love that we can do that now).

love her cabs, bought some here once upon a time and they were a thanksgiving hit last year.

Love Zahtila wines, especially the zins.

Is this vineyard appreciated more for their reds? Bought Zahtila 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay here on Woot 11/19/2008 and tasting notes show very neutral comments.

I have enjoyed most of the wines RPM has favorably commented on (hint, hint) and always appreciate his knowledgeable thoughts.
RPM, f you're around, know this wine, and have time for a quick comment on the current selection.....

Thanks as always.

Had a chance to taste this recently and here are my notes:

Zahtila 2007 Cab Barlow Vineyards

Color – burgundy red hinting toward purple

Nose: ethanol/eucalyptus, strawberry, slight hint of mushroom

Taste: strawberry, red raspberry – not sweet

Finish: medium with medium tannins, hint of sweetness

Overall: well made and balanced. Restrained though noticeable fruit – more fruit forward than a Corison, but just a bit more. Absolutely not a fruit bomb. Didn’t check the specs till after I had tasted it, and I would guess that the hint of sweetness was due to the 14.4 alcohol.

Here is a CT link to the 07 Dry Creek Zin w/ tasting notes. The link from Cesare above did not provide them:

2007 Laura Zahtila Vineyards Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley

Both are Oddone Vineyard - 2 notes. FWIW

I do not recall if these were the wines we tasted on the tour, but I found her wines to be more in the New World style. Fruit forward. I recall quite a bit of heat from the alcohol as well. I don't think her wines were stylistically similar to Scott Harvey.

If you like the New World style wines, this is a great offer for you.

edit: Her tasting room would be a really cool place to visit, if you happen to be in the area. It was a really neat setting.

IIRC, the '07 Barlow Cab wasn't just fruit sourced from the Barlow vineyard but actual Barlow Vineyards Cab Sauv with a LZ label.

EDIT: I was on the New Kids on the Bus rpm tour instead of the Cabernet Lovers rpm tour so we didn't taste a ton of Cabs but other than Corison's entire lineup, there were only 2 Cabs which blew me away and they were the Robert Craig Howell Mountain Cab and this Laura Zahtila Barlow Vineyards Cab.

I definitely enjoyed our visit to Zahtila on the rpm tour and my other visit after a Vincent Arroyo tasting. I did buy two bottles - the Napa Valley Cab and the dessert wine. I think at the woot price I'd probably have gone for one of the single-vineyard designate Cabs we tried, but didn't see the value at the time.

Seriously thinking about this one since the prices are pretty good this time around. If it was two bottles of the dessert wine I'd be all over it.

klezman wrote:I definitely enjoyed our visit to Zahtila on the rpm tour and my other visit after a Vincent Arroyo tasting. I did buy two bottles - the Napa Valley Cab and the dessert wine. I think at the woot price I'd probably have gone for one of the single-vineyard designate Cabs we tried, but didn't see the value at the time.

Seriously thinking about this one since the prices are pretty good this time around. If it was two bottles of the dessert wine I'd be all over it.

Completely agree with you re: the dessert wine. I checked a while ago and it has been long gone...sold out.

jmdavidson wrote:Completely agree with you re: the dessert wine. I checked a while ago and it has been long gone...sold out.

Yes, the Laura's Theme Port was delicious!

Hello,
I was remiss in getting the tech stuff to WineWoot - here it is:
2007 Calistoga Cabernet, "Barlow Vineyards" -
TA - .6
pH - 3.65
Cooperage - 100% french Oak, 40% new.
Brix at harvest: 27
Alc - 15.0
Bottled 5/09/2009

Hope this helps.

Laura Zahtila Swanton

lassow wrote:Can we please get some more specs on the Cab? PH, brix, etc? This looks an excellent Wednesday offering.

tomatillo wrote:Is this vineyard appreciated more for their reds? Bought Zahtila 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay here on Woot 11/19/2008 and tasting notes show very neutral comments.

I have enjoyed most of the wines RPM has favorably commented on (hint, hint) and always appreciate his knowledgeable thoughts.
RPM, f you're around, know this wine, and have time for a quick comment on the current selection.....

Thanks as always.

As an aside to the neutrality back in 2008 - we are showing the 2006 Napa Cab in the tasting room right now and whatever dumb stage it was in early, has definitely given was to great fruit, a lovely bouquet of earthiness and a really solid wine.

chipgreen wrote:Yes, the Laura's Theme Port was delicious!

We just started showing the newest release of Laura's Theme - 2008. It is 92% estate zin and 8% ps, also from Calistoga. I'm still fortifying with Charbay grappa - it's lighter than most port styles, and about 10% rs.

This vintage is flying out the door.

klezman wrote:I definitely enjoyed our visit to Zahtila on the rpm tour and my other visit after a Vincent Arroyo tasting. I did buy two bottles - the Napa Valley Cab and the dessert wine. I think at the woot price I'd probably have gone for one of the single-vineyard designate Cabs we tried, but didn't see the value at the time.

Seriously thinking about this one since the prices are pretty good this time around. If it was two bottles of the dessert wine I'd be all over it.

Thank you for the kind remarks about my dessert wine. We have only been making 2 barrels per vintage which makes it too small of a lot to offer to wooters in this forum. That said, we are slowly increasing our volume of dessert wine and hope to have more to offer in future vintages, starting with 2010. We've also starting sourcing solely from Calistoga for this wine and will eventually have all of it from the estate, including the PS we use.

chipgreen wrote:IIRC, the '07 Barlow Cab wasn't just fruit sourced from the Barlow vineyard but actual Barlow Vineyards Cab Sauv with a LZ label.

To clarify, I purchase fruit from Barlow Vineyards and we make the wine at our winery just north of Barlow's vineyard. The 2007 vintage is 100% cabernet. I've subsequently sourced 2008 from him and now 2011 and 2012. We received a 94 point review from Wine Enthusiast on the 2007 vintage as well.
EDIT: I was on the New Kids on the Bus rpm tour instead of the Cabernet Lovers rpm tour so we didn't taste a ton of Cabs but other than Corison's entire lineup, there were only 2 Cabs which blew me away and they were the Robert Craig Howell Mountain Cab and this Laura Zahtila Barlow Vineyards Cab.

otolith wrote:
edit: Her tasting room would be a really cool place to visit, if you happen to be in the area. It was a really neat setting.

I was a big fan of the dog that greeted me.

Got me at Cab
lost me with Zin.