2017 Oveja

The wines that I tasted this summer and fall from Neil Collins’ family winery (his full-time job is as winemaker for Tablas Creek, where he is the only person ever to hold that role) were a revelation for their precision and freshness. Things have been heading that direction for the Lone Madrone wines for the last few vintages, but this year’s set of releases takes it to yet another level. Collins’ two 2015 Zins are especially impressive and among the best examples of that variety that I’ve drunk in a long time. All of the fruit for Lone Madrone is now sourced from dry-farmed vineyards and Collins think that fact has contributed to the increased complexity of all his wines – maybe, especially for the whites, which show the type of delineation that’s often missing in hot-region white wines.