What the critics are saying about Zmor ...

With this singular wine, Dan Moore establishes the instant template for what a Russian River Gewurztraminer is all about. Moore, who made dry Gewurztraminer under his Zmoore label between 1985 and 1995, left that varietal behind when he began specializing in Pinot Noir. When he left Arista in Healdsburg, Moore and partner Jeff Morgan decided to resurrect Moore's old Gewurz project that had made 11 spectacular, bone-dry wines.

"I knew we could get great fruit," said Moore, who now uses two brilliant Gewurztraminer vineyards, one at the Lee Martinelli winery and another off Slusser Road. "We'd been playing with it for a number of years and in 2005 all the right conditions presented themselves," said Moore, who made 350 cases.

The wine, fermented in older barrels, went through complete malolactic fermentation. "It's a unique style of Gewurztraminer. We were looking to make an ultra-premium white wine," and he suggested that those for whom Alsace Gewurztraminer these days is too sweet would appreciate its bone-dry nature.

The malolactic, he believes, gives added depth to the wine. Flavor and aroma-wise, the wine is a gem, with rose oil, dried gardenia, lichee and a depth of flavor rarely seen in such wines. Moore admits it may be a bit pricey, but he said the superb fruit is expensive, and that regular buyers are supportive. "People who understand the ultra-premium segment of the market, and dry Gewurztraminer, understand what this wine is all about. There aren't many like this. It's not a mainstream style."

Reviewed February 9, 2007 by Dan Berger.

2005 Zmor Gewürztraminer (Russian River Valley)
93 points, Wilford Wong. (Tasted: July 10, 2006, Concord, CA USA) Deep straw color with a glimmer of gold; intense aromas of rose petal and citrus peel, attractive and focused; medium to full bodied, layered and generous on the palate, fine structure; dry, medium acidity, good balance; superb flavors of rose petal and citrus, appealing in everyway; lingering finish, crisp aftertaste. (Best Served 2006-2009)

Wine of the Week
2005 Zmor Gewürztraminer, Russian River Valley ($35): Wild spice notes of lichee and dried gardenias; rich entry, but dry. This barrel-fermented wine doesn't show oak, only the complexity of the variety as once seen in many wines of Alsace. But now that region has all but abandoned this style of wine, it's great that Dan Moore (formerly of Z Moore) has partnered with Jeff Morgan to make this dramatic, expressive statement.

Within weeks of our initial release, New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov obtained a bottle and noted it in a story that highlighted his favorite Gewürztraminer from California: "Rich and dry," he wrote. We couldn't have said it better ourselves!