2013 Chester’s Anvil Zinfandel

No “Next Time” on a Zin This Rare

The 2013 Chester’s Anvil Zinfandel is a Napa Valley lightning strike: a gorgeous wine born of an inspired joint venture between former Mondavi winemaker Steve Lagier, accomplished UC Davis enologist Carole Meredith, and coveted consultant Aaron Pott (Blackbird, Quixote, Somnium). The three legends worked together for just five vintages, and the partnership went out with a bang in 2013, one of the most lauded California vintages in memory. Our allocation represents the last few cases of this gem, which was sourced from historic vineyards on Mount Veeder and Atlas Peak. Like the benchmark Zins from Ridge, Tofanelli, and Turley, this one is absolutely blooming after a few years in the bottle, bursting with ripe black fruit flavors and spice. Don’t miss this one chance to taste the combined work of these Napa stalwarts: For the Chester’s Anvil Zinfandel, there is no “next time.” A jaw-dropping $34 per bottle.

Napa Valley knows what Steve Lagier and Carole Meredith can do with a piece of land: By their own painstaking labor, the Mount Veeder power couple turned a forbidding and rutted 84-acre mountainside property into a world-class vineyard. That’s why Chester Brandlin requested their help whipping his Mount Veeder vineyard into shape. When the work was done, Chester thanked Steve and Carole by gifting them an artifact that had stood in his vineyard since time out of mind: a century-old English blacksmith’s anvil.

That 500-pound conversation piece captured the attention of friend and winemaker Aaron Pott as he visited Steve and Carole one day. Like that, the Chester’s Anvil label was born.

The idea for Chester’s Anvil may have arrived on a whim, but it could not have come to three more steadfast vintners: Lagier spent a decade and a half as a winemaker at Mondavi, Meredith is a noted viticulturalist who taught at UC Davis for two decades, and Pott —who has worked alongside John Kongsgaard and Michel Rolland, was winemaker at Quintessa, and did several stints in Bordeaux including time at La Tour Figeac — has a C.V. that almost defies summary. Talent like this is in high demand all over Napa, and tends to get spread thin. It rarely converges like this, even for a few vintages.

The three are still doing what they do best: Steve and Carole are producing first-class wines from the vineyard they slaved over for years. Aaron Pott now spends his 15-hour workdays speeding across Napa Valley in his Tesla, attending to the dozen clients who pay a premium to have his magic touch applied their wines. The 2013 Chester’s Anvil is a snapshot of an inspired partnership: a one-of-a-kind Zin crafted from beautiful mountain fruit by three Mount Veeder titans. Once our allocation is gone, Chester’s Anvil Zinfandel will be a memory.

– Wine Access Wine Team

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 15.00%
• 30 mins
• Drink Up
• % Zinfandel
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork