2018 Zinfandel, Todd Brothers Ranch

History

Here at Dashe Cellars we’ve been making Zinfandel from the  Todd Brothers Ranch since 1998.  It’s one of our favorite vineyards in all of Sonoma County: the soil is a brilliant bright red color due to volcanic iron deposits, and the rocky slope in Geyserville makes the vines struggle to produce grapes.  The result is unusually small, intensely concentrated grapes that produce dark purple, luscious wines. These head-trained vines consistently produce grapes with almost cabernet-like intensity and structure, yet still possessing the characteristic balance and sensuous texture of a Zinfandel.

Production

We were lucky in the 2018 harvest since we picked the Todd Brothers Ranch many days before the fires and smoke that afflicted many grapes in Sonoma and Napa counties. It’s always one of our earliest ripening vineyards, and we picked at the Todd Brothers ranch in the early morning on September 10th. The grapes were trucked to the winery in 1000 lb. picking bins, and hand-sorted before the crusher.

The grapes were fermented using the yeasts on the surface of the grapes. This native yeast method maximizes flavor, color, and complexity from the grapes. At dryness, the wine was gently pressed in a membrane press and pumped to 120- and 
60-gallon French oak barrels.

During the blending, we decided that this year’s Todd Brothers Ranch Zinfandel was ideal as 100% Zinfandel, and did not need any additional varietals such as Petite Sirah to improve the wine. The result is a wine that tastes lovely on release but will continue to evolve and improve for many years in the cellar. 

Production: 224 cases

Tasting Notes