2009 Green & Red Chiles Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley Zinfandel 750ml
Green & Red Vineyard, named for its red iron soils veined with green serpentine, is located in the steep hills on the east side of Napa Valley. The planting was started in 1972 on ground originally in vineyards in the 1890's. The vineyards are a small percentage of the 200-acre property, which ranges in elevation from 900 to 2,000 feet.
WINE & SPIRITS RATING: 93
WINE & SPIRITS REVIEW: Pam and Jay Heminway started planting their 200-acre estate in the eastern hills of Napa Valley in 1972. They now farm 31 acres in three sites, ranging in elevation from 1,000 to 1,700 feet. Their sensible and sensitive approach to farming and winemaking has made a slightly different version of this cuvee a favorite at Chez Panisse, where it has been the house red for more than a decade. Their 2009 is a violet and black cherry-scented beauty, held in a tannic structure that will reward ten years of bottle age. The freshness is there to enjoy it now--the wine has a way of leaving the mouth feeling clean, a sensation associate editor Luke Sykora described as "fresh rain evaporating off a stone.
