TOP HAND by Adam Jahiel
2019 Outlaw Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County Zinfandel
Meet The Photographer
Adam Jahiel: https://www.adamjahiel.com/
Adam Jahiel is an internationally recognized photographer whose work has taken him all over the world, from the American West to Kyrgyzstan. He has worked extensively for the motion picture industry and has photographed many adventure projects—most notably, the landmark French-American 1987 Titanic expedition. His poetic and dynamic images are in the collections of the Nevada Art Museum in Reno, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Cowboying as an art form is almost obsolete; still, the cowboys hang on with a ferocious tenacity. The cowboy tradition has its roots in the oldest of human conflicts: man against nature and man against himself. These are the conflicts that Adam Jahiel tries to reflect in his photographs. He does not "remake" the cowboys into romanticized, Hollywood images. Instead, Jahiel considers his photographs to be "found" images, in keeping with his commitment to authenticity.
WINE NOTES
NAME:
Outlaw
VARIETAL:
Zinfandel
APPELLATION:
Dry Creek Valley
Sonoma County
VINTAGE:
2019
The mighty Zinfandel… the only grape that California can tout as its very own. This is a wine that is responsible for countless legendary winery stories like Ridge, Ravenswood and Rosenblum. And, it has a groupie following equal to any huge rockstar.
Though grown all over California, its true home is in the narrow and hot Dry Creek Valley, Northern Sonoma. I lived on the doorstep of this region for many years and have spent countless hours either jogging amongst the historic vineyards or riding my Harley past the vast valley of Zinfandel grapes. This place is special to me.
After tasting dozens of wines, we finally found one with the pedigree and characteristics that a true Zinfandel possesses. The color is a dark royal purple fit for a king. The aromas are warm and of ripe black cherry with just a small amount of white pepper lingering about. All of this is perfection, but the taste is what really sold us. Full bodied with driving bold tannins that are big but not too obtrusive. The ripe black cherry is just so beautifully integrated with the density of this wine, all weaved masterfully together with the white pepper spice only found in Dry Creek Valley. It finishes with a great surprise; vanilla bean cream offered up by the kiss of American Oak.
This wine is nothing short of a true rugged Outlaw!
Cheers - Eric 🍷
ARTWORK & DESIGN
It is said that a photo is worth 1,000 words. If that’s true, this photo is easily worth a million words. This is a photograph named “Top Hand” taken by famed photographer Adam Jahiel. We feel that this photograph captures the rugged, bold and beautiful spirit of this wine.
We’re so lucky Adam loved our wine and shared our vision for this label. This image makes me feel like I was there. It’s not Hollywood sexy, but rather it’s a stunning photo capturing this lifestyle and era of the great cowboys of the West.
— Mindi
MUSIC
When I sipped this Zinfandel the first time, I felt it was an outlaw. It was rugged, strong and enticing. It made me think of the Wild West, where cowboys and outlaws blazed trails and musicians echoed that lifestyle with music about our land, our lives, and the outlaw nature of it all. Nothing embodies that lifestyle like Country Music. We’ve never paired a wine with Country Music… this is our first. And it’s so perfect. Listen to Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison or Willie Nelson singing like he’s sitting talking to you. Sip the wine. Let the Highwaymen and Waylon Jennings take you back to the days of the outlaw Country Music artists… old school Country with an attitude.
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