We asked Deerfield to give us something really special for this October offer - and wow did they come through! This wine is usually reserved for the winery’s most exclusive customers and, well, they count our Operatives among them. This Deerfield Ranch 2012 Los Chamizal Vineyard Sonoma Valley Zin is an elegant, delicious, impressive treat.

This Zinfandel is a deep brooding garnet, almost black, with scarlet tinge around the edge. It’s got both creamy and fruity aromas with notes of dulce de leche, butterscotch, freshly toasted sourdough, boysenberry, and raspberry syrup. Classic Sonoma Valley Zinfandel reigns on the palate with deep bramble, fresh juicy blackberry, vanilla, gingerbread, and hibiscus. The tannins are extremely soft, allowing the fruit to take center stage and glide effortlessly into a long finish. If you’ve never had a pulled pork sandwich with a glass of Zinfandel, this is the one for the job.

Sonoma Valley’s first vines were planted way back in 1825 by Spanish missionaries. This unique micro-climate region receives less rain and is less influenced by the fog making this warmer AVA ideal for Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Today’s wine is made from grapes from Peter Haywood’s Los Chamisal Vineyard. The vineyard is located in a small isolated valley near the town of Sonoma. It’s a stunning Sonoma Valley setting with vineyards covering all sides of a box canyon, providing slopes with both morning and afternoon sun, as well as dramatically different soil types across the topography.

Several notable wineries make their wines from Los Chamizal grapes, including, Gauthier, Kokomo, Heywood, Dane, and many others.