My first impression of Pedroncelli Winery was “what? A White Zinfandel that’s not sweet?” This was at a Zinfandel trade show, and while this seems naïve now, at the time I was just starting out in the wine world. To this day, though, I equate Pedroncelli with Rosé of Zinfandel (the more accurate term). Strange, I know, especially when there are hundreds of vintners around the world producing rosé wines from all sorts of varietals and combinations of red wine grapes, and even stranger considering Pedroncelli has a whole suite of wines to offer. They are certainly not limited to Rosé of Zinfandel.
So, after receiving a half case of six wines from the winery, we dug right in. We started with their 2012 Oaked Chardonnay from F. Johnson Vineyard. The honey notes reminded us of well-crafted mead. Their 2012 East Side Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc provided a very light floral note, and was much stronger on the palate than we originally expected from the light aromas on the nose. The raspberry notes in their 2011 Bench Vineyards Dry Creek Valley Merlot gave an unexpectedly-juicy quality to the wine, but the white pepper finish maintained the balance.
We were also allowed to sample their white and red table wines. The 2012 Friends White and 2011 Friends Red would both make great additions to our everyday wine library. Drinkable and versatile with a wide range of foods.
Finally, what our mouths had been watering for since the box arrived: the newest release of their Rosé of Zinfandel. Their 2012 Rosé of Zinfandel, Signature Collection was dry enough that it would serve well as a pre-dinner aperitif, much like a Campari cocktail but without the bitterness one gets with Campari. Perfect before dinner or as a sipping wine, and met the high expectations we had for it when we uncorked the bottle.
Speaking of corking, every bottle sent to us by Pedroncelli had a twist cap. The twist cap is both environmentally better than actual cork, and easier to get into.
In all, we were pleased with every single bottle we received. This is not often the case. While we enjoy most wines we try, we often say, “well, that was good but nothing to write about.” So, a thumbs up to Pedroncelli Winery for maintaining high quality across the broad spectrum of varietals they offer.
