The 2010 Zinfandel La Promessa is a totally different deal than the Gino’s. Here the aromas and flavors are much darker and more assertive. A blast of black fruit is followed by tobacco, licorice and a host other exotic nuances. Rich, layered and totally beguiling, the 2010 is fabulous. It is also a notable success for a vintage in which so many Zinfandel vineyards were scorched by the late season heat spikes. I would give this 2010 a few more years in bottle to settle down, then drink over the next decade or so. The 2010 is 95% Zinfandel and 5% Petite Syrah from a site planted in 1999. My sense is that future vintages may be even more interesting as the vines acquire age. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted from Ed and Adam Sbragia this year. These wines remain incredibly reasonably priced considering the quality of what goes in the bottle.Tel. (866) 222-4342

Even better is the 2008 Zinfandel La Promessa. Abundant aromas of pepper, meat, briery fruit, herbs, earth, black cherries and raspberries are followed by an outstanding wine from a vintage that produced very few good Zins (except from the likes of Carlisle, Turley and Biale). Drink it over the next 2-3 years. Bigger than life veteran winemaker, musician and general bon vivant, Ed Sbragia continues to turn out a bevy of realistically priced wines that offer great value. To add to the excitement, every one of his 2007 Cabernet Sauvignons performed better out of bottle than it did from barrel - always a sign of top winemaking and reassuring integrity. However, Sbragia, who may have the Midas touch with red varietals (particularly his beloved Zinfandel as well as Cabernet Sauvignon) also knows a thing or two about Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. 2008 is an average quality year for most Zinfandel producers, but Sbragia has transcended the vintage’s challenges. Sbragia is producing five separate Cabernet Sauvignons, and the in-the-bottle notes that follow demonstrate that each of them performed better from the bottle than it did last year from barrel.P.S. I tasted through all the Sbragia 2008 single vineyard Cabernets, including the Wall, Cimarossa, Rancho del Oso, Monte Rosso and the Dry Creek Andolsen vineyard. They all appear to be potentially 90-93 point wines. While they are not as impressive as the 2007s, if they improve as much from barrel to bottle as the 2007s, look for the 2008s to compete with that vintage.Tel. (866) 222-4342