George Hendry once helped farm the Brandlin Ranch on Mount Veeder, where he took cuttings of the old-vine zinfandel when the property was sold in 1995. He grafted that budwood onto St. George rootstock at his benchland vineyard west of Napa and north of the San Pablo Bay, where morning fog and offshore breezes in the afternoon help to cool the vines. This 2012 parallels the hearty depths of an old-vine zin, the ripe sour-cherry flavors driven by alcohol but not heated by it, the tannins buzzing with energy. It's brisk and bright, complex and joyous.

This is huge, brawny Zin, given some parameters through its 15 months in oak, the vast majority of which was French and new. Behind the power lies a slight elegance, with a taste of tar and bittersweet chocolate that lingers on.