Story Winery is a Zinfandel specialist based in Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley, just north of the town of Plymouth. They offer nearly twenty different wines, the majority of which are Zinfandel. Jan Tichenor, who owns Story Winery with her husband Bruce, tells me that all of their wines are made from dry-farmed, estate fruit and are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Picnic Hill Vineyard, the oldest of the estate vineyards, dates back more than a century. The wine made from that location is their flagship.

The 2006 Story Winery Zinfandel Picnic Hill Vineyard Amador County is ruby with an attractive nose of very dark fruit, mostly cherry and blackberry, accented by tobacco and oak-derived spice. On the palate, slight sweetness, high alcohol and robust, drying tannins result in a full body that starts out creamy and starts to dry out at mid-palate. Flavors largely echo the nose with juicy black cherry, blackberry, sweet spice and cocoa. Drinking the wine by itself results in a finish of medium length due to the tannins. However, consumed with a well-marbled rib-eye steak and a side of mac & cheese, the tannins should smooth out  extending the finish. The 16% alcohol will be a factor in food pairing, so robustly flavored food without hot spices will be best. This is a good example of mountain Zinfandel and quite tasty. Drink now through 2014. Recommended.

2006 Story Winery Zinfandel Picnic Hill Vineyard Amador County
Rating: Recommended

Drink: Now through 2014
Retail Price: $25
Blend: 100% Zinfandel

Alcohol: 16%
Closure: Cork

At the September 19 Sierra Foothills tasting at the Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, I was able to try three other Story Winery wines and can happily recommend them as well, though you may have difficulty finding them.
2006 Story Winery Barbera - Juicy fruit but good acidity as well. A good food wine. (Only 3 cases remain and they are being held for the library.)
2006 Story Winery Creekside Zinfandel, $23 - Zinfandel in the happy, fruity style. Good for picnics or with a Thanksgiving turkey. (Readily available at the winery and their online store.)
2008 Story Winery Primitivo - (Not yet released, but if you ask for it they’ll sell it to you.)

This wine was received as a review sample. The first bottle I received from the winery was faulty. The review above is based solely upon the second bottle I received. Other Story wines upon which I comment were tasted at a public tasting of Sierra Foothills wines, hence my lack of detailed notes.

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