Every year I look forward to it with almost equal measures of anticipation and dread. The "it" I refer to is the ZAP tasting–one of the world's largest wine events and without a doubt the world's largest single varietal tasting. ZAP stands for Zinfandel Advocates and Producers and every January for the past 16 years they have been calling all Zinfandel fanatics to San Francisco's Fort Mason pavilions to sample America's home grown favorite. I anticipate the ZAP tasting because I love Zinfandel and the dread only comes from the sheer size of the event – 300 wineries and 9,000 tasters. That's right – 9,000!

I bring my own set of rules to the tasting. I don't write about the big three, Ridge, Ravenswood, and Rosenblum because everybody who loves Zin already know how great they are. And I don't write about wineries I have written about in the past few years. Instead I search for very high quality, small production wines that many people may not be familiar with. This year I'm glad to report I came across some real gems. The following wines are the real standouts, the cream of the crop of this year's ZAP tasting.

Catherine Bonneau's grandson, John Bambury produces this Los Carneros Chardonnay, a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and a Zinfandel from Amador County, all in small case lots. Catherine and her husband August moved to Sonoma from Bordeaux in the 1920's, purchased 70 acres of farmland and a dairy, planted grapes, and eventually began providing fruit to some of the top names both locally and in Napa. Their grandchildren took the next logical step, releasing own-label wines beginning in 2001.

Brilliant yellow and fairly viscous in the glass, this elegant wine has notes of honey, butter, cream, toasted almond, cashews, créme brulee and caramel on the nose. On the palate it is medium in body with a fresh, fruity quality and notes of meyer lemon and pineapple. It is dry, pithy, and restrained in style, and has a long, clean finish. This is the kind of California Chardonnay i get excited about. It is refreshingly understated, but not bland or neutral. Easily a crowd pleaser as a cocktail, it also has the ability to dazzle at the table with dishes such as butternut squash and sage ravioli, a silky lobster bisque, or the Lean Cuisine chicken pasta selection.

August and Catherine Bonneau left their native Bordeaux and settled in Schelleville, near the town of Sonoma, where they purchased a 70 acre parcel of land. What is now estate vineyards started as farmland, a dairy, and a delicatessen. Their daughter, Yvonne, planted 30 acres to Chardonnay in 1989, which is sold to top name wineries locally as well as in Napa. In 2001, her son, John Bambury and other children undertook the production of own-label wines, producing a Los Carneros Chardonnay, a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and this Zinfandel from the Shenandoah Valley appellation in Amador County. Less than 600 cases were produced of this Zinfandel.

Bright, lightly saturated ruby with garnet highlights, this viscous wine has aromas of strawberry, pear, spring blossoms, pink and green peppercorns, cinnamon, braised meats, offal, and brie cheese. Medium to full in body, it has a structured, taut entry with slightly drying tannins followed by a bold, juicy jolt of fruit with a sweet bubblegum note. The wine finishes with a hit of oak tannins. While it is a little disjointed right out of the bottle, the wine smooths out with aeration and would be delicious with St. Louis style ribs, braised and grilled oxtails, or grilled sausages.

The third generation of Bonneaus, a family with a history of grape growing in Sonoma-Carneros dating back to the 1920s, finally launched the family’s own label in 2001. In addition to this Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, John Bambury and the other family members produce a Los Carneros Chardonnay and a Zinfandel from Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley AVA. The family originally came to America from Bordeaux, and began farming a 70 acre parcel of land near the town of Sonoma.

From vineyards located between the Rutherford Bench and Yountville, this elegant, feminine wine entices the nose with notes of blueberry, blackberry, mineral, smoke, tar, vanilla, mocha, and dust – very likely the famous Rutherford dust. It is perfumed and flowery, not at all what one would expect from today’s typical Napa Cab. Smooth and silky on the entry, fine fruit and oak tannins give definition and structure. Varietally expressive notes of currant, cassis, tea leaf, and sage dominate the palate and long finish. This compelling wine would be delicious with a Florentine pork roast, guanciale (pig cheeks) risotto or almond crusted lamb chops. Only 550 cases of this wine were produced so it will be hard to track down.