ZD Abacus XXIV

ZD Abacus XXIV

ZD Abacus XXIV A multi-vintage blend that artfully expresses the depth and complexity of a well-aged wine, infused with a touch of forward fruit and the intensity of a younger wine. It is defined by ZD Wines’ Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which has been produced every year since 1992. The wine is aged for three years in the barrel which allows access to the young reserve wines as a blending component to Abacus. Hence, there is always a component of young, fruit forward wine available to infuse into the ever-developing Abacus solera. 

ZD Wines is a producer based in the Rutherford appellation of Napa Valley in California, focusing on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Its most notable wine is Abacus, a solera-style bottling that blends together 23 vintages of the company’s reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, setting it apart from all other wineries in Napa Valley.

ZD Wines was established in 1969 by former aerospace engineers Norman DeLeuze and Gino Zepponi. They wanted to make wines from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, so they set up the winery in an old barn in Sonoma, and sourced fruit from what is now the Napa Valley side of Carneros. They named the wine ZD, not only to signify the initials of their last names, but also as an acronym for Zero Defects, a term used at the quality control program at their former job at Aerojet. Zepponi unfortunately died in 1985, and DeLeuze and his family took full ownership. The winery experimented with several grape varieties over the years, but decided to narrow its focus to just Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon in 1987. ZD acquired land in Rutherford, where the current winery was built.