Sandlands Contra Costa Zinfandel 2023

95 pts Vinous - GalloniThe 2023 Zinfandel (Contra Costa County) emerges from the Oakley Road vineyard. It offers a striking mix of concentration and vibrancy, a winning combination in my book. Bright acids cut through a core of dark red/purplish fruit, new leather, licorice, incense and tobacco. All this needs is time to soften. The finesse is there, however. - By Antonio Galloni on January 2025Tegan Passalacqua’s 2023s are the very finest wines he has made at Sandlands. I say that having tasted these wines all the way back to the first vintage. Several of these wines hit new highs. The rest aren’t too far behind. Most of the reds are done with a high percentage of stems (the Zinfandel is an exception) and aged in neutral wood. In 2023, the Contra Costa Mataro, from Oakley Road, steals the show, but it is next to impossible to pick favorites. Among the whites, the Chenin speaks to me most. My only regret with this tasting is that I had to catch a flight back to New York. Otherwise, I w