ZD Pinot Noir Carneros 2013
In 1969, aerospace engineers Norman DeLeuze and Gino Zepponi, along with their families, turned their entrepreneurial enthusiasm toward winemaking. These were the early days of California’s wine industry, and they were among Napa Valley’s adventurous winemaking pioneers. Their founding concept was to produce world class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reminiscent of France’s renowned Burgundy wines. They achieved this endeavor by sourcing from the cool Carneros regions of Napa and Sonoma. The ZD Wines brand highlights the initials of the founding partners’ last names, but it also symbolizes the term Zero Defects, an acronym for the quality control program Norman and Gino worked under while designing rockets at AeroJet, a rocket propulsion manufacturer in Sacramento, CA. Norman’s wife and founding partner Rosa Lee DeLeuze jokes that ZD also stands for the names of her two cats, Zesty and Delightful.
A great full-body Pinot! Deep Ruby with berry aromas and earthy spice. On the palate strawberry, cherry and plum fruit with vanilla spice and cedar notes. The wine is well structured, silky smooth tannins, balanced acidity carry the wine to a lingering finish. Very Nice!
Cheers!