2017 Acre Zinfandel – A Tale of “One Acre, One Guy, One Wine”
The Winery
“One Acre, One Guy, One Wine” slogan is the quintessential meaning behind their wines and success. It started in 2002 with Dave Becker, who founded the One Acre label with just one acre of Cabernet Sauvignon planted at his family home in the Oak Knoll region of the Napa Valley. The success of One Acre led to the launch of Acre Wines, a portfolio of classic wines from sustainably farmed, family-owned estate vineyards in Napa Valley.
Industry veterans, Mike and Talley Henry purchased the winery in 2017. Together, with well-known consulting winemaker Richard Bruno, they continue to carry on the One Acre and Acre Wines legacy that Dave created nearly two decades ago. Today, the One Acre portfolio includes an Oak Knoll Cabernet sourced from Dave’s original one acre vineyard, and a Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon, planted on one acre with identical clones, varietal, spacing and row orientation as the Oak Knoll Cabernet to be able to understand and appreciate the differences of “terroir”. The highly acclaimed Acre portfolio includes a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc sourced from family-owned vineyards within the stellar AVA’s of Oakville, Yountville, Calistoga, and Stags Leap.
The Wine
The 2017 Acre Zinfandel was a deep purple and ruby red coloring on the eyes. The aromas of red and black fruit engulfed the olfactory senses. On the palate, one juicy Zinfandel opened up with raspberry, blackberry and most pronounced blueberry tastes. Secondary notes of vanilla and cinnamon were present. This was no Amador “fruit bomb” Zinfandel, but rather a well-balanced fruit wine with restrained tannins and acidity providing a “mouthful experience”. The finish was “juicy and long lasting” with a tinge of earthiness and herbal qualities which made for such an enjoyable wine. The grapes came from two separate vineyards and is 90% Zinfandel with 10% Syrah grapes. The wine was aged 15 months using both American and European barrels, with 70% being new. The wine alcohol percentage is 14.9%. It also won Best in Class for Zinfandel at the American Fine Wine Competition in 2020 (right before the shutdown) with 94 points The winery website shows this selling for $29.
The Food and Wine Pairing
I had not previously tasted Acre wines but being from Napa Valley, figured it would be more of a dry Zinfandel. As previously noted, my assumption was incorrect. Paired with pork chops prepared with mushrooms and butter sauce along with a brown rice and a fresh garden salad. The meal was delicious and flavorful. Unfortunately this Zinfandel was so big, vibrant and beautiful it overpowered the pork dish. My error, not the wine or the meal. You win some and you lose some. That said I just found one of the best Zinfandel’s I have ever experienced! I usually don’t comment on wine bottle labels, but this bottle is beautiful.
Additionally, Talley Henry mentioned they enjoy their Zinfandel on a regular basis. Some of their favorite pairings are with pizzas, pulled pork with house-made slaw on Hawaiian sweet rolls, shredded white chicken chili, beef chili and braised short ribs.
I am sure there are many other dishes this pairs well with and will continue to experiment!
Sláinte,
Michael
California Wines & Wineries 
April 10, 2021 at 4:36 pm
stay tuned.. podcast coming soon.
LikeLike