History buff Brian Petersen uses his first bottling of Zinfandel to pay tribute to the Solomon Grout Simpson, a 115-foot sternwheeler that operated from Olympia to Shelton during the first quarter of the 20th century. The Kitsap Peninsula winemaker pulled the Zinfandel from historic Portteus Vineyard and blended Petite Sirah (6%) from Lonesome Spring Ranch ahead of a barrel program led by new Francois Freres puncheons and once-filled Taransaud barrels. The nose offers the fun often expected from some California Zins — cherry candy, fig and grape fruit leather with soy sauce and caramel. There’s some hedonism on the entry to the palate with strawberry jam, then comes juiciness from cherry pie filling and boysenberry in the back.
Rating: 90 points — Excellent
Production: 190 cases
Alcohol: 13.8%
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