2007 Zinfandel Jackass Hill

Winemaker Brian Kvamme told me that he unapologetically makes full-throttle, high-octane wines, especially with zinfandel and syrah, "because that's what our fruit dictates." When he's scanning a retail shelf for a zin or a syrah and sees bottles he hasn't tried, he'll always go for one that is at least 15% alcohol, "because that means that the fruit got ripe." This year's set of wines display the power and depth one expects from Martinelli but there's also more freshness and clarity, to my palate, and the relative vivaciousness of the fruit will make the wines drinkable earlier than usual. Still, these are deep, unapologetically powerful wines. "We're a fruit-growing family, and we want to get the maximum expression from our grapes," said Lee Martinelli, Sr. "We don't make shy wines."