Lot 33 — 2023 Dry Creek Valley Old Vine Zinfandel
Lot Overview
- Region: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
- Vintage: 2023
- Varietal: ~98% Zinfandel, ~2% Petite Sirah (final blend TBD)
- Oak Aging: ~50% new American oak
- Alcohol: ~14.8%
- Cases Available: 80–90
- Cam Price: ~$12.50/bottle ($149/case)
- Retail Estimate: $50–60/bottle equivalent (Cam’s estimate)
- Claude’s Source Guess: Unknown — private hobbyist producer, Bay Area tech consultant
- Wine Berserkers Guess: No guess
- Drink Window: 2025–2032 (peak 2026–2029)
Cameron’s Release Notes
This wine comes from a successful Bay Area tech consultant who owns some acreage of 50+ year old, head-pruned Zinfandel vines in Dry Creek. That is about all I know, other than he is apparently a really nice guy according to the GM of the custom crush facility who sent me the samples. I have no idea what this gentleman sells his wine for, or if he does at all. From a quality perspective I would put this in the realm of $50–60 Old Vine Zinfandel bottlings like Rafanelli or Dry Creek Vineyard. Very little of this available — only a few barrels.
Tasting Notes
Classic, brambly old-vine bouquet of briary blackberry, boysenberry and raspberry complexed with exotic spice underpinned with vanilla, black pepper and an amalgam of fresh raisins and tootsie roll chocolate. Ripe and silky smooth on entry turning deep, dark, robust and absolutely delicious but beautifully attenuated across the palate with perfectly ripe blackberry and raspberry fruit mingling with brown sugar and a Medjool date underpinning. As the wine opens up it brightens with damson plum and cherry notes keeping things fresh and vibrant yet always sumptuous.
✅ Bottle Shock Status: Bottling projected November 20th. Allow 60–90 days minimum.
Claude’s Source Guess: Unknown — private hobbyist producer, unidentified custom crush facility, Dry Creek Valley
This is one of the few CAM X lots where a source identification simply isn’t possible — and Cam himself is transparent about that. The producer is an unnamed Bay Area tech consultant who owns 50+ year old head-pruned Zinfandel acreage in Dry Creek Valley and makes a small quantity of wine at a private custom crush facility. Cam received the wine via the facility’s GM rather than through a direct producer relationship, and acknowledges not knowing the producer’s retail price or even whether the wine is sold commercially at all.
What can be said is that the fruit is genuinely excellent — 50+ year old head-pruned Dry Creek Zinfandel is rare and valuable, and Cam’s quality benchmark of Rafanelli or Dry Creek Vineyard ($50–60) is credible given the vine age and production method. The custom crush facility is described as “very high-end,” consistent with facilities like Crushpad, Napa Wine Company, or Sonoma’s custom crush operations that serve high-net-worth hobbyists alongside boutique commercial producers.
Without a commercial label, known producer name, or any public footprint, this lot cannot be identified further. It’s best appreciated as a rare find from outside the normal négociant supply chain.
✅ Confidence: N/A — no identification attempted. The producer is unknown by design.
Drink Window
Early: 2025 — Cam’s tasting notes suggest it’s already drinking well.
Peak: 2026–2029. Old vine Dry Creek Zinfandel at 14.8% and 50% new American oak peaks 3–6 years from vintage.
Hold: 2032. The vine age and structure support medium-term cellaring.
My Call: ✅ Drink window: 2025–2032 (peak 2026–2029)