Duckhorn Decoy Zinfandel 2016

Ideally drink now through 2026

Sourced from the Dry Creek and Alexander Valley regions in Sonoma County, well known for their old vine Zinfandel, the Duckhorn Decoy Zinfandel is a slightly more restrained and rustic version than many big, fruit bomb California Zin’s. Beginning with a boysenberry, leather, and mocha nose, this wine continues to a palate of velvety layers of chocolate, blueberry, and dark plum. A lingering smoky finish has nice acidity that helps to balance out the fruit character.

Slow cooked beef brisket, barbecued ribs, or a grilled steak would be great paired with this wine. A rich, dark chocolate dessert would be a good match as well, with the fruit character rounding out the richness of a chocolate cake or mousse.

Decoy chooses to highlight Sonoma County grapes in all of its wines, and has supported the appellation since its founding. The majority of the grapes for this wine come from 30-80 year old wines in the Alexander Valley and Dry Creek regions. Due to the old vines, the yields are fairly low, and as such more concentration of flavor is put into each grape. This leads to the incredibly luscious and vivid flavor that this Zinfandel has. To soften Zinfandel’s sometimes intense tannins, the team at Decoy also ages this wine for 10 months in 40% new, 60% neutral French Oak barrels.