Dick Cooper Vineyard, Amador County
TASTING NOTES:
The 2024 Cooper Zinfandel
has garnet ruby color of medium depth, with bright hues and an edge of carmine
creeping into the hue. The aroma is loaded with savory berry fruit; red and black
raspberries, dark cherry, boysenberry and plum.
Past editions of this wine have been ‘pretty’. That is to say juicy and youthful in their exuberance. The 2024 edition of the Cooper Zinfandel has
taken a step away from the youthful strawberry character in favor of the darker
berries. This Zinfandel is still a long way from being a dense late harvest
monster. In addition, there are floral scents
of rose petals and violets that lift from the glass. Just over a year of barrel aging has layered
in a bouquet that provides a significant impression of sweetness; dark
chocolate, hazelnut, and caramel. On the palate juicy flavors of ripe
blackberry, marionberry, and boysenberry are delivered by a wine with a supple
creamy texture. The tannins are mature and free of astringency. The finish features toasty oak and a note of
mineral. This can be a dangerous
Zinfandel; it is smooth, creamy, and oh so inviting, and does nothing to reveal
a rather substantial alcohol level. As I
write this, I am craving a rack of lamb and a glass or two of this 2024
Zinfandel from the Dick Cooper Vineyard.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Varietal Composition: 100% Zinfandel
15.1% Alc. 0.74 g/100ml TA 3.43 pH
Oak Regime: 27% American Oak, 41% French Oak, 32% Neutral Oak
Dick Cooper grew
up here in the Shenandoah Valley. His
family grew walnuts and plums for prunes and pastured sheep. Dick’s father, Hank, had planted grapes in
the late thirties. He did well during
the war years when the government bought the grapes for alcohol production for
the war effort. After the war, however,
the demand for Zinfandel waned and Hank became disillusioned with grapes. It
took until the early eighties for his son Dick to plant a vineyard on the
family ranch. For the next four decades Dick slowly removed walnut orchards and
replaced them with vineyards. During
this time Dick also cultivated a reputation for growing outstanding fruit,
especially Barbera. We jumped on the
Cooper Barbera bandwagon in the late 1990’s but it took us until 2014 to
purchase Zinfandel from the Cooper Ranch.
We make a half dozen Zinfandels from Amador County and the Cooper is
usually one of the friendliest. It has
fully ripened red fruits, juicy succulent flavors and an ultra-smooth finish.
Double Gold Medal - CA State Fair Wine Competition 2026
The price of this product varies with the quantity of products ordered in the category "Mix and Match"
| Qty | Unit Price |
| 1 - 11 | $30.00 |
| 12 + | $30.00 $27.00 |
|
