Description

Tasting Panel – 90 points
Duckhorn created its Decoy line in 2008 as a means of providing the high-quality wine for which it’s known at a more affordable price point. Made with Dry Creek Valley estate grapes, this Sonoma-based Zin offers soft, ripe red fruits (namely strawberry and raspberry) accented with spicy vanilla-cola notes. It’s a juicier-style Zinfandel that doesn’t beat you over the head with jammy richness and texture (perhaps the 17% Petite Sirah makes it seem a bit drier). Per usual, Duckhorn relies on a label depicting its signature fowl to fly above the competition.

Wine Enthusiast – 90 points
This well-made wine has cherry-berry fruitiness and a likably soft smooth texture, with a rounded approachability to its richness and moderate weight. Blended with 17% Petite Sirah, it has understated power and integrated oak, finishing in a swirl of vanilla.