1995 Rosenblum Brandlin Ranch Zinfandel

Rosenblum Cellars was founded in 1978 in Alameda County. The winery is unusual in that it is located in the East Bay just across from San Francisco. It was founded by Kent Rosenblum, a veterinarian with an interest in wine, and today the business is still run by the Rosenblum family. The winery makes a large selection of wines sourced from grapes grown in virtually every region of California, from Sonoma and Paso Robles, to Contra Costa, Santa Barbara and Mendocino. Rosenblum makes about 50 wines a year. They are known for Zinfandels, Rhone-style reds and whites, and dessert wines. Many of the wines are vineyard-designated.

Mount Veeder AVA was established in 1993, though its origins as a wine producing district date to the 19th century. A German Presbyterian pastor named Peter Veeder was one of the first landowners in the area, and by 1864 one of his neighbors, a German sea captain named Stelham Wing, was producing wine commercially. The area continued to attract German agricultural entrepreneurs, some of whom established the estate that would later become the Christian Brothers Mont La Salle winery. Today the AVA includes about 1,000 acres of vineyards, most of them at relatively high altitudes. The Mayacamas vineyard, for instance, is at 2,400 feet. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

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.