Press

"Elegant in structure, this red swoons toward sleek tannins, offering a heart of pure raspberry and cherry flavors mixed with notes of underbrush and crushed pepper. Drink now through 2030. 407 cases made." -Tim Fish (2024)

"This sleek, claret-style Zin elegantly layers raspberry and cherry flavors, offering briar patch and green peppercorn accents while gliding on the silky finish. Drink now through 2030. 297 cases made." -Tim Fish (2024)

Wine Spectator 5/24 - 8 Impressive California Zinfandels at 90+ Points

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Napa Valley Zinfandel Roots Also Run Deep

Perched among the Vaca Mountains in eastern Napa Valley, Green & Red's Tip Top Vineyard sits between elevations of 1,800 and 2,000 feet. When settling the land, founder Jay Heminay named the winery after the site's red chert soil and its streaks of green serpentine rock. Heminay died in 2019, and his daughter, Tobin, continues his work alongside winemaker Aaron Whitlatch. Their 2019 Tip Top Zinfandel has elegant layers of red fruit flavors as well as briar and green peppercorn accents. 92 Points

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Wine & Spirits Magazine - Green & Red Vineyard

Top 100 Winery for 2023

A barrel selection from all three vineyards on the estate, Chiles Mill, Tip Top and Catacula, this was blended after 14 months in American and French oak barrels (20 percent new), then aged for another year in neutral French oak barrels. The wine is savory, with scents of mountain forest, olive and red-soil accents supporting plum and cassis flavors. It’s sleek and beautiful, firm but comforting; the extra time in barrel has contributed a seamless texture, with melting plum-skin tannins tense and finessed. For a tenderloin. —P.J.C. (125 cases)

Like the best petites, this takes a few days to show itself, shy but for the tannins you can readily sense in its aromatic heft. It smells of chapparal and petrol, fig and earth. After three days of air, a dark-plum compote scent emerges, its sunny warmth becoming exotic and ferrous, with cardamom-scented tannins and a sensual, firm texture. It will reward cellaring. —P.J.C. (110 cases)

Tip Top is, unsurprisingly, Green & Red’s highest-elevation vineyard. At elevations of 1,800 to 2,000 feet, the parcel includes a mix of cordon- and head-trained vines planted in the green-tinged serpentine gravels and red chert for which the winery is named. Winemaker Aaron Whitlatch has preserved mountain environs in the fruit here, warm plums scented with pine, bay laurel and madrone. It’s focused and lean, with a claret-like center of gravity tethered to foresty tannins. For lamb shoulder. —P.J.C. (450 cases)

This claret style zin is smoky, with scents of red berries, amaro and pine that carries through to a mentholated savor to the palate. The purple fruit is lean and juicy with fine tannins and a lacy acidity that steers the wine with a quiet energy. —P.J.C. (860 cases)

Refined and elegant yet zesty, this Zinfandel has detail and presence, with layered raspberry and cherry flavors accented by tarragon and white pepper. Ends with fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2032. 750 cases made. - TF

"A rare claret-style Zinfandel, well-sculpted yet plump and briary, with cherry and raspberry flavors laced with brown baking spices and white pepper. Drink now through 2030." -Tim Fish (2023)

"Vibrant and distinctive, with wild berry, licorice and roasted sage flavors that fan out on the rich, zesty finish. Drink now through 2030. 1,500 cases made." -Tim Fish (2023)

"Shows structure and focus paired with brambly cherry, savory pepper and a hint of mint as this builds vibrancy toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2028. 520 cases made." -Tim Fish (2023)

"A real briar patch of a Zin, with appealingly rustic wild cherry, spiced cinnamon and bay leaf accents that take on richness toward zesty tannins. Drink now through 2029. 860 cases made." -Tim Fish (2023)

"A wine that suggests a sense of place, this is refined and just a hint rustic, which adds to the authenticity. Notes of cherry and pomegranate are laced with hints of white pepper and bay leaf. Drink now through 2030. 910 cases made." -Tim Fish (2022)

Top New World Sauvignon Blanc of the Year

"One of the Best US Zinfandels of the Year"

Top 100 Wineries of 2016

Top 100 Wineries of 2015

“Gangbusters. Since day one of Back Room, Green & Red has been a house favorite. Always so good. Serpentine in the rocks makes the green. Iron-heavy soils of the vineyard make the red. Long-time Zinfandel specialist, Green & Red has producted a rich, hearty, spicy classic "Bigger Zin". Get black cherry liquer, licorice, black pepper, mint, French roast coffee and boysenberries. Long finish of spice, fruit and just a little soil.”

"Cool and slightly autumnal on the nose with ripe gently tarry cherry fruit, huge forest floor, wildflower, and dry pine needles base notes. Old school, small dark berry fruit, a little firm tannin a whisper of herb, big dark cherry fruit all unfold on the palate in such a gentle way one might forget how much Zin has changed over the years if it weren’t for examples like this. Polished rich and well-integrated…"

“Pear and spice notes mingle with yellow apple, melon, citrus zest and spice flavors in this smooth, medium-bodied version, with a refreshing, lemongrass-infused finish.”

“Tangy peach, lemon and tangerine notes are refreshing and juicy, with toasted herb and citrus zest notes and a mouthwatering finish. Drink now. 320 cases made.”

“It's so rewarding to see Jay Heminway's benchmark Zinfandel label also show its hand with white wine, in this case from 2 acres of the Sauvignon Musque selection off his site in eastern Napa County. An intense, outstanding expression of a California style: darker minerality and both citrus flesh and pith, white flowers and wheatgrass.”

“Jay Heminway carries the torch for old-school Napa Zin from the eastern area of Chiles Valley. With relatively little new wood from a 1,000-foot-elevation parcel that overlooks the remains of the valley’s historic grist mill, this is wound up enough to need another year in bottle. Cedar, cinnamon, forest floor and racy raspberry and plum in a concentrated and notably tannic style.”

"Jay Heminway has been holding the bar for Zinfandel from Napa’s Chiles Valley for decades, but here his talents point elsewhere. The warmth of this site outside Angwin yields and intense Sauvignon Blanc (with some intrigue from the Musque selection), full of dark stones, Meyer lemon, white flowers, and wheatgrass. A dramatic Napa-style expression of this grape."

“We like the pepper, spice and sandalwood notes in this berryish Napa Zinfandel from Zin-Meister Jay Heminway. It’s a mountain Zinfandel that’s farmed responsibly and made more for the dinner table than to be a contestant in a beauty contest.”

"A supple, rich and expressive white, with succulent apricot, lemon curd and ripe peach flavors, showing just a hint of lanolin, honey-suckle and smoke. The supple body is kept lively by crisp acidity. Drink now. 310 cases made."

“Green & Red Vineyards has been producing top-notch wines since the 1970's. Located in Chiles Valley (that's in Northeast Napa Valley). They craft a few different Zinfandels (and a Syrah), and we like them all. The "Chiles Mill Vineyard" bottling is my favorite of the bunch. Sitting at 1,200 ft elevation, this estate vineyard produces a wine of brilliant dark red color. It's chock-full of deep yet bright black cherries, a bit of bramble, a hint of smokiness and very nice warming "winter" spices. This is a big wine with richness and depth that is as cozy as a crackling fireplace on a cold wintery night. Nice.”

“Focused and well-structured, with loamy cherry aromas and dense, appealingly briary raspberry, roasted sage and cracked pepper flavors. Drink now through 2017. 900 cases made.”

“Green & Red has long been one of my favorite under-the-radar producers in California. Way out in the boonies of Chiles Valley, a valley that runs parallel east of Napa Valley proper sits the estate vineyards of Green & Red on a mixture of red iron and green Serpentine soils perched on a bench that ranges from 900 to 2000 feet elevation. This particular wine comes from the Chiles Canyon Vineyards which are the wineries three mountain top vineyards overlooking Chiles Canyon. Aged in half French oak and half American oak for 14 months this is one superb Zin far from the IHOP blueberry pancake syrup that most people are trying to pass off as Zinfandel today. Dryness prevails here from nose to finish with precise layering of fruit, tannin, acid and texture. Wild berry, spearmint, cocoa powder and espresso all combine in the mid-palate for a crescendo of flavor that is only outdone by the long complex finish packed with sage and other herbal components. This is deliciously youthful now and will continue to develop nicely over the next decade.”

“Pam and Jay Heminway started planting their 200-acre estate in the eastern hills of Napa Valley in 1972. They now farm 31 acres in three sites, ranging in elevations from 1,000 to 1,700 feet. Their sensible and sensitive approach to farming and winemaking has made a slightly different version of this cuvee a favorite at Chez Panisse, where it has been the house red for more than a decade. Their 2009 is a violet and black cherry-scented beauty, held in a tannic structure that will reward ten years of bottle age. The freshness is there to enjoy it now-the wine has a way of leaving the mouth clean, a sensation associate editor Luke Sykora described as “fresh rain evaporating off a stone.” Decant it for grilled quail.” 93pts Wine & Spirits (Best Buy) Feb 2012 and designated as one of the Year's Best Zinfandel”