1995 D-Cubed Cellars Zinfandel “Howell Mountain,” Napa...

1995 D-Cubed Cellars Zinfandel “Howell Mountain,” Napa Valley (About $18)

With so many Zinfandel producers merrily following the pied piper down the road toward big, bigger, biggest, here’s one Zin that stands out from the crowd for its elegance and suppleness. More claret in style than the over-oaked, over-reduced wines so much in fashion now, D-Cubed Zinfandel, made from grapes grown on the slopes of Howell Mountain in the Napa Valley, is a terrific wine that goes beautifully with food--which is, after all, the point. Isn’t it?

Available at Epicurus, Santa Monica; Wally’s, Westwood; Wine Country, Long Beach; Stafford Wines, Irvine; Wine Street, Carlsbad, among others.