2014 Zinfandel, Louvau Vineyard 'Block 2' | MAGNUM

History

Wow. What a blockbuster of a wine. This is a definitive, classic example of why the climate and soil of the Dry Creek Valley produces some of the best wines in the state. The wine is big, floral, explosively aromatic, and quite rich in both mouthfeel and texture. It is made from one of the best—and steepest—blocks of grapes in the Louvau   Vineyard, a site that lies on an ancient riverbed “bench” of the east Dry Creek Valley. 

Production

The 2014 growing season produced a huge crop of excellent grapes, and the growing conditions were perfect for this particular vineyard. The grapes ripened slowly and steadily in warm, but not too hot, conditions. The resulting wine has aromatic elements of ripe fruit, but with the elegance and balance of perfectly ripened grapes. 

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 natural yeast population on the surface of the grapes to conduct the fermentation. At dryness, the wine was gently pressed in a membrane press and pumped to traditional 60-gallon oak barrels. The wine was aged for 10 months in one-year or older French oak barrels to keep the vibrancy of the fruit. Since the wine had great structure and substantial tannins, we decided to bottle in magnums, which allows the wine to mature slowly over time. 

Production: 116 cases

Tasting Notes