Hook and Ladder
We were first introduced to Hook and Ladder several years ago during a visit to Guerneville. This Sonoma County, Russian River Valley winery is a spin-off of the DeLoach family and carries on that reputation for excellence.
Both of our visits here have found excellent Zinfandels. We felt their winemaking had matured even more in the intervening years. Notable finds include Station Ten Red Blend. Station Ten is the firehouse in San Francisco from which Cecil De Loach retired, and the winery has the firehouse theme.
This wine is a blend of their oldest Zinfandel grapes with a small amount of old vine Carignane and Alicante Bouschet from the same vineyard, combined with Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon from their Los Amigos vineyard, to enhance the berry and spice profile of the blend.
Another favorite was the Gambogi Ranch Zinfandel.
A beautiful dark colored wine with full, rich fruit flavors; berries, cherry, and a little raspberry on the finish.
Another blend we enjoyed was The Tillerman. In fire-fighting parlance, a “tillerman” steers the back of a hook & ladder truck.
This deep colored wine is a blend of grapes from their Los Amigos vineyard. The 2013 vintage yielded delightfully ripe, richly flavored Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Sangiovese. They added Merlot to the blend to add opulence. Berries, black cherry and spices in this one.
The Tasting Room is open 10:00 to 4:30
707.526.2255