2009 Manifesto! California Zinfandel Half Case

6 x 2009 Manifesto! California Zinfandel

"Wine is really about the good life. It's cornball, but it's true."

Early in his career, Jamey Whetstone made this his manifesto, and he has lived by it ever since. After the restaurateur moved to Napa and met wine legends Larry Turley and Ehren Jordan, he left the culinary world to try his hand at winemaking.

Unfazed by his hazing as a "cellar rat" at Turley Wine Cellars, Whetstone realized the wine world was one he could call home. Over the next decade, he became assistant winemaker at Turley, worked at Burgundy's Domaine Dujac, founded Whetstone Wine Cellars and co-founded Manifesto! Wines. And somehow he found time to surf and raise four children with his wife, Michelle.

Last year, the Whetstones opened the doors to their winery on Atlas Peak in Napa Valley. There, they pour samples of Manifesto! wines paired with delicious bites from fan and friend Michael Chiarello, a restaurateur and Food Network personality.

Manifesto! prides itself on crafting simple, drinkable wines, a vision this surfer-vintner has had since his stint at Turley. This past year he was able to find Zinfandel fruit that fit his manifesto, and I'm "super-stoked," in the parlance of the irrepressible Whetstone, to bring this wine to you.

Tasting Note
Manifesto! Zinfandel is ruby-red in color with a heady nose of raspberry, blackberry and blood orange. The berries carry over to the palate, along with ripe cherry and chocolate, leading to a long finish. Balanced and approachable, this Zin works well with almost any type of hearty fare. At this price point and level of quality, stocking up on this one is a no-brainer.

—Stephanie DeMasi

Stephanie DeMasi has been General Manager and Managing Partner of Juslyn Vineyards on Spring Mountain for the last eight years. A New York City native, Stephanie graduated from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and moved to Napa in 2002 to experience the harvest. She has earned the Advanced Certificate of the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and a Wine Spectator Restaurant Wine List Award in 2006 for her work at fresh, a restaurant in New York City. Follow Stephanie on Twitter: @StephanieDeMasi