1978 Dusi Ranch Zinfandel

We have made this unusual wine in four vintages over the past twelve years and this is “the fifth Essence of ancient and medieval philosophy, supposed to be the substance of which the heavenly bodies were composed, and…the extraction of it…being one of the great objects of alchemy.”

The zinfandel on this Paso Robles ranch was planted in 1923. It was purchased soon after by Sylvester and Catarina Dusi, who raised three sons there—Guido, Dante, and Benito. When Guido and Dante went to war in 1944, vineyard cultivation was left to Sylvester and young Benito—eleven years old at the time. Beni, as his many friends call him, maintained the vines from then on. Ridge’s long relationship with Beni and the Dusi vineyard began when Dave Bennion— scouting the area in 1967—knocked on the Dusis’ door and asked to buy five tons of grapes.

Average Rating: 90.8

No. of Tasting Notes: 7

View this wine on CellarTracker