I’m lucky to have family in California’s beautiful Dry Creek Valley wine region. With the town of Healdsburg as a home base, I find myself down there at least a couple times a year. My most recent trip was back in late October at the height of the crush. Early one Saturday, my cousin and I decided to dedicate an entire day to tasting Zinfandel, the varietal for which Dry Creek is rightly renowned. One of our very first stops was Mazzocco.

Mazzocco’s winery and tasting room are perched near the Healdsburg municipal airport, right between the Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys. It’s a picturesque spot, especially on a sunny fall morning. We stepped up to a lengthy tasting of vineyard-designate Zinfandels and a few of their reserve counterparts. All the wines we experienced were expertly crafted and unique, but a couple really stood out. One of these was the 2006 Warm Springs Ranch Zinfandel.

With a blend of 98% Zinfandel and 2% Petite Sirah, the Warm Springs is intensely dark in the glass with black currant, cherry and cedar on the nose. This is an incredibly smooth wine that’s not too fruit forward; tannins are refined and it finishes long with notable spice and smoke on the palate alongside dark fruit.

Only 450 cases of 2006 Warm Springs were produced, so I heartily recommend tracking some down (or better yet, visiting the winery). For food pairing, think roasted and grilled meats. This wine can hold its own and complement meals that might overwhelm other reds.