2013 Robert Sinskey Commander Zinskey The Napa Valley Zinfandel

Robert Sinskey is in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley. It was founded in 1986 by Robert Sinskey, an eye physician with a passion for Pinot Noir and an interest in growing grapes. He became a limited partner in Acacia Winery, then bought 115 acres of his own and started making his own wine. Today the estate is run by Sinskey’s son Rob and includes nearly 150 acres. The estate grows a wide variety of grapes ranging from Pinot Banc and Pinot Gris to Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Besides producing well-reviewed Pinot Noir, the estate makes many red and white blends.

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,

Zinfandel is a black-skinned grape, but 85% of the wine produced is made into a rosy “White Zinfandel.” Red Zin is far more complex and bold, while still being light-bodied. It grows in popularity as winemakers continue to experiment with new styles and blends.