2014 Lava Vine Vineyards Zinfandel Napa Valley 750 ml

The Prince of Cabernet Makes a Zinfandel for the Ages

At nearly half-off the release price, this is a slam-dunk deal on polished, rich Zinfandel from a Napa master. Only 360 bottles to go around.

From a year that James Suckling calls “a vintage not to miss,” the Lava Vine Zinfandel features a voluptuous gumbo of ultra-concentrated blackberry and black cherry, the primary-fruit opulence all but overpowering the sweet spice, lavender, and violets. In a Wine Access exclusive, we’re making this velour-textured bottle available at $25.99—almost HALF OFF the release price of $48.

Santa Barbara local legend Rudy von Strasser was the first-ever American intern at Château Lafite Rothschild, absorbing the lessons of the grand Pauillac First-Growth before returning to the West Coast. An alum of Trefethen and Newton Vineyard, nicknamed “The Prince of Cabernet,” von Strasser is also a wizard with Zinfandel, and in 2014 he crafted one of his best ever.

After von Strasser’s return from the cellars at Lafite Rothschild, he became enologist at the historic, world-famous Trefethen Vineyard, then took on assistant winemaker duties at Newton Vineyards. But what really made von Strasser’s legacy was his eponymous winery on Diamond Mountain. On those steep slopes, he would produce some of California’s most thrilling, full-throttle, and long-lived mountain Cabernets, packed with black fruit power. He was instrumental in creating the Diamond Mountain AVA and earned the title in the press as the “Prince of Cabernet,” not to mention multiple “Winery of the Year” honors from Wine & Spirits.

In 2015, von Strasser sold his estate and vineyard and bought Lava Vine, which had been started in 2004 by Joe and Jill Cabral. A beloved institution in Calistoga, Lava Vine specialized in lesser-known grape varieties and appellations, producing wines that had a strong following in Napa. The tasting room was a warm, lively renovated barn where the musically-inclined staff was known to pick up their instruments on a whim and throw impromptu concerts. Best of all, the facility would allow von Strosser to continue making Zinfandel, a grape he’d produced beautiful expressions with in the past.

One of the first vintages that bore his touch at Lava Vine, 2014 was a magic, low-yield year for Zinfandel in Napa, heralded as “one of its best years in the last two decades” by James Suckling. An uneventful spring and continued drought conditions brought little summer rain. Flavors and tannins matured fully long before sugars, so sugar levels were closely monitored to guide the decision of when to pick. That careful attention paid off in ultra-concentrated grapes with superb balance and dark color.