This has sneakily become our top-selling Red Zin over the past several months. I got into a bottle recently, and it totally make sense -- this stuff is drinking like a dream, and it's packed with ripe and pleasure-bent aromas and flavors. It's also an incredible value.
Brothers Jim and Bob Varner are the brilliant minds behind Foxglove. The duo have a tremendous reputation for crafting low intervention wines that showcase true varietal character along with a sense of place. They also tend to release their value-priced wine with some age on them, and that "time-in-bottle" has benefited their 2021 Zinfandel.
I personally rate this at 93 points, and I love the peppery, brambly berry notes that are more akin to Italian Primitivo than domestic Red Zin. The texture is plush and silky, the flavors are pure and proper, and the overall drinking experience is joyful.
2021 Foxglove Zinfandel Paso Robles -- Why should you buy it?
- Eric Asimov, wine writer for the New York Times summed it up perfectly. "For a world that’s gotten used to jammy, ultraripe Zinfandel, this is a refresher course reminding us that Zinfandel made in a more restrained fashion can be fresh, exuberant and spicy."
- With 5 years of aging and bottle conditioning on this one, it's drinking incredibly well! Ripe and balanced, it offers up notes of ripe plum, cherry, white pepper, and smoky herbs, it's silky, seamless, and an amazing value.
- The Varners employ a very hands-off, minimalist approach to their Foxglove Zin. Fruit comes from organic and sustainable growers, all fermentations are carried out with native yeasts, and the wine is brought up in tank and neutral oak.
- This leads to very pure but pleasure-bent wines. The fruit is perfectly ripe, not overripe, the alcohol level is substantially lower than many of its Zinfandel peers, and it balances ripeness with zesty acids and silky tannins.
Taste this one, and you'll know what I'm talking about, and I encourage you to enjoy it with some North Carolina bbq too! The wine's combination of bright acidity, ripe fruit, and spicy notes make this a perfect pairing partner. No food needed though, this drinks great by itself.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville
