Hendry Ranch is an amazing place. The 117 acres of gorgeous vineyards located between 160 and 290 feet in elevation on the Western edge of the Napa Valley, just North of Carneros. The soils is stoney and dry, and particularly inhospitible. The Hendrys will 
tell you that the majority of the work that they do is in the vineyards, and the results of their efforts definitely show. Hendry wines have a breathtaking structure, and a very clear minerality. They are both hedonistic and intellectual at the same time.
This is what The Hendry’s say about this wine:
Grapes for the HRW series wines come from our vineyard estate, as they do for all of our wines. The grapes we use for the HRW are individual blocks or barrels that for one reason or another do not have the complexity we require for our Hendry label, but are very nice every day drinking nonetheless (and too good to sell off to someone else). In some vintages we make one variety, in others, several, and sometimes we make none at all. The production is generally small. This wine is a blend of the barrels that were not included in the Block 7&22 Zinfandel or Block 28 Zinfandel.
The alcoholic fermentation was completed in approximately ten days in closed stainless steel fermentation tanks. When the wine was fermented completely dry, it was pressed to barrel for malolactic fermentation. Aging was twelve months in French oak barrels of which approximately 10% were new, with the remaining barrels 1, 2 and 3 year old barrels from our zinfandel program. This wine has a round mouthfeel and blackberry and floral aromas. Spicy, smoky currant and berry flavors on the palate with just enough soft tannins to do battle with dry-rub barbecued ribs or chicken. The tannins are substantial but not overly drying. The alcohol is 15.4%. 1050 cases produced.
That this is the wine that doesn’t make it into their premier zinfandels only says how amazing of a vineyard this is, because this is a delicious wine, and it is a wine that is a little easier to drink right away than the more austere wines from the single blocks. Try this with BBQ ribs, Carne Asada, Grilled Chicken, and even Salmon on the Grill. Drink now – 2012
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For the second wine in our Syrah comparison, my favorite California Syrah, and one of my favorite wines of the last few years. This is a cult wine in the making if ever I saw one.