With a little Petite Sirah and Carignane added for complexity, this is a beautiful Zinfandel meant for drinking now. It has fresh, zesty flavors of wild raspberries, cherries, blueberries and red currants, with notes of licorice, cocoa and pepper. Notable new oak adds even richer elements of vanilla and smoke.——S.H.(8/1/2009)—— 90

This high class winery has turned out a surprisingly simple 1994 Zinfandel with a dark garnet color, and a light intensity nose of pepper, herbs, and red cherry fruit. The wine offers attractive roundness, moderate concentration, medium body, and astringent tannin in the finish. It is neither dense nor concentrated, so readers are well-advised to drink it over the next 1-3 years.Tel. (707) 433-6700

Dissimilar from the blockbuster 1990, the 1991 is still a lusty, full-bodied, rich, concentrated Zinfandel with a satiny-smooth texture and loads of peppery, spicy, black-cherry and raspberry fruit. Its opulence and heady alcohol content (15.2%) make for a big, creamy, rich wine that offers considerable character. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.

The 1990 Zinfandel from Dry Creek is a spectacular effort, with stunning richness, a huge nose of black-raspberries and pepper, awesome richness, full body, and an explosively long finish. It should drink well for another decade. It is available only in California.