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Broc Cellars

Wirth Zinfandel 2017

Price: $35.95
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Tasting notes

At 12% ABV from 75-year-old dry-farmed vines, this is Zinfandel stripped of the jam and heat that defines the category — what you get instead is cherry, clove, and rose petal over fine dusty tannins and a cool, fresh finish. The iron-rich volcanic soils of Wirth Ranch give it a savory mineral quality that keeps you reaching for another glass.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Taste profile
CherryCloveBaking SpicesRose
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; iron-rich volcanic fruit; cherry, clove, and floral lift; 12% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Zinfandel; Wirth Ranch; organic, dry-farmed; steep volcanic iron-rich soils; vines planted 1948; Solano County Green Valley AVA
  • Winemaking: Native yeast fermentation; destemmed with some whole cluster; stainless steel open-top fermenters; twice-daily pump-overs; 10 months neutral French oak barriques; minimal SO2 at bottling
  • Serving: Serve at 58-62F; 20-30 min decant optional; drink now through 2027+
  • Pairing: Roasted pork shoulder, lamb burgers, braised short ribs, aged cheddar, hard gouda
  • Similar To: For fans of Beaujolais cru and lighter-styled Grenache who want old-vine California character at restrained alcohol

The Wirth Zinfandel comes from Wirth Ranch, a single site on the western edge of Solano County Green Valley AVA, just southeast of Napa Valley. The vines were planted in 1948 and are dry-farmed on steep-sloped, iron-rich volcanic soils by second-generation farmer Steve Wirth. At roughly 75 years old at time of harvest, they yield a small, concentrated crop — approximately one ton per acre — that gives the wine more structure and depth than most California Zinfandel.

Winemaker Chris Brockway destemmed the fruit with a portion of whole clusters included, then fermented it in stainless steel open-top tanks with twice-daily pump-overs using only native yeasts. No commercial yeast, enzymes, nutrients, or other additives were used. The wine aged for 10 months in 60-gallon neutral French oak barriques before bottling with minimal SO2.

The result is a Zinfandel built on freshness and structure rather than extraction and heat. Fog regularly rolls up from San Francisco Bay across the Wirth Ranch slopes, keeping the climate cool and preserving the kind of natural acidity that lets this wine sit at 12% ABV without feeling thin. Notes of cherry, clove, and baking spice sit over fine, dusty tannins and a floral lift that reads closer to cool-climate Grenache than typical California Zin.

Broc has sourced Zinfandel from Wirth Ranch since 2002, making this one of the winery's most deeply rooted single-vineyard relationships. The 2017 is drinking well now and has the structure to continue developing for several more years.

The wine's firm acidity and restrained tannins make it a natural match for roasted pork shoulder, lamb burgers, or braised short ribs. It also works well alongside hard cheeses like aged cheddar or gouda, where the fruit concentration holds up to the fat. Try it slightly cool — around 60F — to keep the freshness in focus.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Zinfandel
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2017
Alcohol:, 12%
Country:, USA
Region:, Solano County Green Valley
Appellation:, Solano County Green Valley AVA
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Broc Cellars

Chris Brockway founded Broc Cellars in 2002, starting with a single barrel of wine while working at another Bay Area winery. He established his own facility in Berkeley in 2008, operating from a warehouse in the city's Gilman District. Brockway studied oenology at UC Davis and later completed his degree at Cal State Fresno before working at JC Cellars, a conventional producer, and spending time at Terroir, San Francisco's first natural wine bar. Those two experiences in opposite directions shaped his approach: minimal intervention in the cellar, maximum emphasis on where and how grapes are grown.

Broc Cellars operates as a negociant, sourcing fruit from organically farmed, family-owned vineyards across California — from the Central Coast to Mendocino County. In 2021, Brockway took over farming operations at Fox Hill Vineyard in Mendocino County and purchased the property outright in 2023, when it became Broc's first estate site. Fox Hill received CCOF organic certification in 2024. All other fruit is sourced from growers farming without synthetic inputs.

Every wine at Broc Cellars is fermented with native yeasts only. No commercial yeasts, bacteria, enzymes, nutrients, or tannin additives are used at any stage. Sulfur is not added during fermentation or aging; a small amount may be added at bottling depending on the wine and vintage. Harvesting is deliberately early to preserve natural acidity and keep alcohol levels moderate. The winery uses a mix of stainless steel tanks, concrete vessels, and neutral oak barrels depending on the wine.

Wine region

Solano County Green Valley, USA

Solano County Green Valley is a small AVA established in 1982, located on the western edge of Solano County about 12 miles northeast of San Pablo Bay and immediately adjacent to the southeastern corner of Napa Valley. The appellation is narrow — roughly one mile wide and four miles long — and sits between the Vaca Mountains to the east and the Mount George Range to the west. Afternoon fog and marine winds funnel inland from San Pablo Bay on a near-daily basis, making this a genuinely cool-climate growing area despite its inland position.

The Solano County Green Valley AVA falls within California's North Coast AVA umbrella. Soils in the western hillside portions, where Wirth Ranch sits, are steep-sloped, iron-rich, and volcanic in character — free-draining and low in fertility, which naturally limits vine vigor and concentrates flavor. The combination of cool maritime influence and low-yielding hillside sites makes it particularly suited to varieties that need a long, slow growing season to develop complexity without losing acidity. Zinfandel, Valdiguie, Trousseau, and Syrah are all grown at Wirth Ranch within the AVA.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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