We asked winemaker Joe Shebl to craft a Zinfandel, not for the masses which is what he’s so good at doing, having been the winemaker at Renwood since 1999. Rather, we wanted a complex masterwork that spoke highly of the terroir of this vineyard and of the spirit of Amador County. The Waypoint customer is an explorer after all, and we aim to surprise and delight them when we can.

From the very top of a hill that stares down on a lake and a creek, in one of the most picturesque places in the Sierra Foothills, lies this single block of old vine (25 yrs) Zinfandel. The color is a dramatic and deep purple with shiny highlights and deeply colored edges. The nose is ripe, but not at all overripe. There are sweet black cherries, blackberries, plum, milk chocolate, caramel, and vanilla notes with cedar, light spices, and flecks of warm green earth and stones. The palate is soft, full-bodied, and round with mouth-filling dark chocolate, chocolate-covered cherries in liqueur, vanilla spices, and loads of plummy black and red fruits. This is a lot of character to be packed into a wine with such a fine, elegant finish too, with just a hint of rusticity on the end, and lightly grippy tannins at the tail-end.

93 POINTS - Wine Enthusiast
♦ Editor's Choice ♦
"This complex and harmonious wine carries deep, concentrated, and diverse flavors on a good structure of fruit, acidity and moderate tannins. It is full-bodied, mouth filling and interesting to savor for its intricate black-pepper, ginger, toast, blackberry and mint flavors. Editors’ Choice. —J.G."