Hartford Family Winery Hartford Old Vine Zinfandel

Wine Spectator Top 100 #10

2014 Vintage

Awarded: 2016

The TEXSOM International Wine Awards

Silver

2012 Vintage

Awarded: 2015

Suggested Dishes to Pair With This Wine

Venison Main Course: With beetroot, caramelized chestnuts, chocolate and juniper; Argentinian

Tamales Main Course: Contains: coriander, chilli; Mexican

Grain fed ribeye (off-the-bone) Main Course: Western

Pork BBQ spare ribs Main Course: In sticky sauce; Contains: pork ribs, bbq sauce; American

Details

Analytical Data

Alcohol ABV: 15.2 - 15.6%

Production Attributes

Old vines

Awards

(3)

Wine Spectator Top 100 #21

2015 Vintage

Awarded: 2017

Wine Spectator Top 100 #10

2014 Vintage

Awarded: 2016

The TEXSOM International Wine Awards

Silver

2012 Vintage

Awarded: 2015

Critics Scores & Reviews

(107)

All vintages

92 / 100

107 scores

95 - 100

90 - 94

85 - 89

80 - 84

75 - 79

0 - 74

96 / 100 The Wine Palate

2022 Vintage Tasted: Jul 2025

When to drink: 2024 to 2033

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 Hartford Zinfandel soars with notes of rose oil, star anise, kirsch, and raspberry pie leading to a core of stewed red plums and incense. The medium to full-bodied palate has a refreshing backbone and lightly chewy texture, finishing with lovely purity and a red berry lift. Don and Jennifer Hartford tend this head-trained vineyard in the backyard of their home. Planted over 100 years ago, the Hartford Vineyard’s vines are the lowest yielding of all of their Old Vine Zinfandel vineyards.

About The Wine Palate

95 / 100 Wine Enthusiast

2021 Vintage Tasted: Mar 2024

Take a deep dive into the jammy, ripe depths of Zinfandel as you sniff the ultra-ripe blackberries and sip the plump red raspberries in this full-bodied, mouth-coating wine. Moderate tannins, intense fruit flavor and a broad but vibrant texture make it memorable.

PRO Jancis Robinson

2022 Vintage Tasted: Oct 2023

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About Jancis Robinson

93 / 100 Wine Enthusiast

2019 Vintage Tasted: Jul 2021

This is a blend of five vineyard-designates and it shows serious power and elegance in one cohesive body of thick richness and weight. Tightly wound in tannin, with ample toasted oak, it offers satisfying layers of black raspberry, cherry, cola and white pepper, overdelivering on its price. Virginie Boone

95 / 100 Wine Review Online

2018 Vintage Tasted: Dec 2020

This vineyard is a real Zinfandel treasure – its dry farmed, head trained, hand farmed century old (plus) vines are sourced by several famed producers. Hartford’s offering shows lively black cherry fruit with complementary notes of tea, pie spice and fennel. It’s got great acidity that carries the ripeness of the fruit into the distance. The finish is fully integrated, showing all the components and inviting you back for more. Supple tannins keep the flavors pumping, and there’s an elegance here that is elusive at this ripeness level. This will suit a variety of foods, from a medium strength cheese selection to grilled red meats. Delicious!(Rich Cook)

About Wine Review Online

94 / 100 Wine Enthusiast

2018 Vintage Tasted: Sep 2020

From a low-yielding, head-trained vineyard planted more than a century ago, this wine tastes of dried fruit, dust and nutmeg, with a depth of rich black cherry. Leathery texture leads to an elegant length of velvety softness. Virginie Boone

93 / 100 Owen Bargreen

2016 Vintage Tasted: Nov 2018

When to drink: 2018 to 2028

This Russian River bottling begins with heady aromas of bramble, red currant jelly and cherry preserves with a touch of blueberry puree. The blue fruits on the nose surprise you a bit. The palate has racy acidity and wonderful weight that delights the senses. Blackberry pie, blueberry cordial and red cherry flavors all beautifully mingle in the glass. The structure and integrity of the wine, as well as the terroir, is just exceptional.

About Owen Bargreen

94 / 100 Wine Enthusiast

2015 Vintage Tasted: Aug 2018

From the producer's own backyard site, head-trained and planted a century ago, this wine is from the lowest yielding of all their sites. Earthy forest, leather saddle, fennel and a whiff of meatiness highlight a dense brightly layered wine, offering structure that is lifted in red-berry flavor with a spicy tobacco finish. Virginie Boone

? / 100 James Suckling

2016 Vintage Tasted: Apr 2018

This is very pretty zin with cherry, berry, black-pepper character. Full to medium body, light tannins and a flavorful finish. Lots of stem, moss and bark with wet earth at the end. Beautiful balance compared to the 2015. Drink now.

About James Suckling

? / 100 James Suckling

2015 Vintage Tasted: Apr 2018

This is very flamboyant on the nose with blackberry and blueberry aromas. Hints of bark and cloves. Full-bodied, rich and very concentrated. A little too much alcohol for me, but some may love it. Drink now.

About James Suckling

92 / 100 Wine Enthusiast

2011 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2014

At 98 years of age, the vineyard certainly qualifies as old vine, which isn't the case with all wines so labeled. Who really knows what varieties actually constitute these ancient vineyards, but this wine is certainly rich in Zinfandel character. The wild raspberry and cherry fruits have a briary edge, suggesting the tartness of Dr. Pepper cola, the nettles of summer chamomile and the savoriness of green peppercorn. There's little question that the wine will age well, but there's no reason not to drink it now, with proper decanting.

83 / 100 Wine Enthusiast

2005 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2007

Too hot and overripe, with a heavy, baked fruit quality. Although the wine is fully dry, it has a stewed blackberry taste. The alcohol is.

91 / 100 Gismondi on Wine

2003 Vintage Tasted: Sep 2005

Don Hartford is farming this 90-year old vineyard organically. It is located on approximately seven acres in the Russian River appellation of Sonoma County and is head-pruned producing low annual yields of roughly 1.5 tons an acre. Spicy exotic floral nose with blueberry chocolate fruit flavours and just a whiff of minerality. (Anthony Gismondi).

About Gismondi on Wine

94 / 100 Gismondi on Wine

2001 Vintage Tasted: Feb 2003

Don Hartford tends this 90-year old vineyard located on approximately seven acres in the Russian River appellation of Sonoma County. The vineyard is head-pruned and produces low annual yields of roughly 1.5 tons an acre. The wine is magnificent. Anise and aromatic scents mark the nose with chocolate, mocha, dark fruit spice. Opulent and probably the way zin fans really like their wine. (Anthony Gismondi).

About Gismondi on Wine

93 / 100 Wine Enthusiast

2001 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2003

Inky black in color and densely rich on the palate. This is one of five fine Zins from this winery—plush, silky, sexy and complex, with a broad array of black cherry, plum, cola, coffee, chocolate, spice and herb flavors. Velvety smooth and long on the finish.

92 / 100 Gismondi on Wine

1999 Vintage Tasted: Mar 2002

Black cherry ripe raspberry jam explosive fruit aromas. Wow! This is zinfandel you can get excited about. Big bright jammy fruit flavours and white pepper with just the right acidity. This is a great food wine. Despite the 15.8 per cent alcohol we found the finish balanced and eminently drinkable. (Anthony Gismondi and Stuart Tobe).

About Gismondi on Wine

93 / 100 Wine Enthusiast

1999 Vintage Tasted: Jan 2002

From the old vineyard in back of Don Hartford's house, thisalcohol Zin is big—but it's no brute. It's full of dark, rich blackberries, layered with chocolate and black pepper. The velvety texture carries through the long finish, picking up hints of black licorice. Editors' Choice.

2022 Vintage Tasted: May 2025

About The Wine Independent

95 / 100 The Wine Independent

2022 Vintage Tasted: Apr 2024

When to drink: 2024 to 2032

2021 Vintage Tasted: Oct 2023

2019 Vintage Tasted: May 2022

92 / 100 Wine Spectator

2018 Vintage Tasted: Jun 2020

2017 Vintage Tasted: Jun 2019