A Wine for Tonight: 2011 Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Vines Zinfandel



By Kori ~ April 16th, 2014.

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? If so, you might want to check out the 2011 Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Vines Zinfandel from Sonoma County in California.

Our selection criteria include:

  • A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
  • A price tag of <=$20
  • Must be widely available

Dry Creek Vineyard, founded in 1972 by David Stare, is located in the heart of Dry Creek Valley just outside of Healdsburg, California. Producers of a number of very good wines, Dry Creek Vineyard is a self-proclaimed “Zinfandel Specialist” and offers eight different bottlings. This particular wine was first released in 1997 as Heritage Clone Zinfandel. Using old vine budwood grafted into a new vineyard, the Heritage bottling is a young vine Zin with distinctive old vine characteristics. Today, Dry Creek Vineyard is run by David’s daughter Kim Stare Wallace and her husband Don.

“The 2011 Heritage Vines Zinfandel presents a wonderful profile of blueberry, red currants, and silky structure that speak to the cool 2011 vintage. The moderate alcohol nature of this Zin provides smooth tannin and structure, making the palate very well balanced.” –Tim Bell, Winemaker

2011 Dry Creek Vineyard Heritage Vines Zinfandel (Sonoma County, California): 84% Zinfandel and 16% Petite Sirah. Deep, purplish red in color. Aromatic with blackberry, black cherry, plum, and spice on both the nose and palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $19; Available elsewhere, $13 to $19


Filed under: A Wine for Tonight, California Wine, Five-Bangs For Your Buck Wines, Red Wine, Wines Under $20, Wines Under $25, Zinfandel

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