2021 Zinfandel, Louvau Vineyard "Block 2"

History

Production

In the 2021 vintage, the grapes ripened relatively slowly and then a quick blast of heat in mid-September pushed the grapes to full ripeness. As is typical with this block of grapes, the dark, concentrated fruit immediately made awine with great structure, depth, and complexity.
As always, we hand-sorted the grapes on a conveyor belt on the way to the crusher to eliminate any leaves, rocks, or imperfect fruit. The crushed grapes were then fermented using only the native yeast population on the surface of the grapes (rather than commercial dried yeasts) to conduct the fermentation. At dryness, the wine was gently pressed in a membrane press and pumped primarily to new 120-gallon French oak puncheons and a selection of older French oak 60-gallon barrels.

Tasting Notes:
Color: Purple with a reddish rim
Aroma: Bright black cherry, raspberry, chocolate, earthy, peppery spice with hints of lavender floral notes
Taste: Sweet black cherry, black raspberry fruit, pomegranate, and chocolate. Velvety texture, bright juicy acidity, great tannic structure, earthy, and minerals in the midpalate. Shows great fruit/acid balance. Very persistent black cherry, raspberry, and black pepper spice finish.