A while back, we made a list of who we thought grew the finest mountain-grown Zinfandel in all of Napa Valley. At the top of it: Joyce Black and Jerre Sears. So we rang them up to see if they had any grapes for sale. The answer was “Sorry we do not, but thanks for calling.” So we went straight to Plan B. We begged, we pleaded; we may have even nagged a little. (The answer was still ‘no.’)

Okay, so it took a year or two. But eventually we got to them and wore ‘em down. Jerre called and said a small block had become available, and we started to chat. Now, we are excited to be offering this incredible Howell Mountain Zinfandel with great complexity, intensity and a textured finish that’s even longer than the story behind it.