2019 Zinfandel, Heart Arrow Ranch

History

We’ve always loved the fruit grown on the Heart Arrow Ranch and have long considered it one of the finest biodynamic farms in Mendocino County.  The ranch is a self-contained ecosystem where not only grapes but vegetables, fruit-trees, pigs, cows, lambs, and chickens all create a self-sustaining farm without herbicides or pesticides. The combination of these farming techniques and our winemaking help create an unusual zinfandel, one that is very different in aroma, flavor, and structure; it tastes more like a wine from Burgundy or Beaujolais than a classic Zinfandel.

How is this wine different?  First of all, we don’t crush the grapes but instead use whole clusters and uncrushed destemmed grapes to create a “carbonic maceration” style of wine.  We ferment the wine with the native yeasts on the grapes; age the wine in a 900 gallon French oak barrel; and bottle with low SO2 levels. The end result is a wine made in a more Old World style (i.e. soft and elegant).

Production

The 2019 vintage produced one of the best Heart Arrow Zinfandels we’ve made to date. The grapes were tiny and very intense, producing a fruit-forward, dark red, luscious wine.  When destemming the clusters, we let the whole berries drop into the tank for fermentation, and also pitchforked 10% whole clusters into the tank. We wanted the wine to ferment inside of the berries, which produces a beautiful, fruit- forward aroma and a light, velvety texture.
The wine shows excellent fruit and mineral aromas, and the wine has an absolutely beautiful texture and depth of flavor.  Although this wine is beautiful to drink right now, it can improve with age as well, at least 8 years from the vintage date.

Production: 226 cases

Tasting Notes

Color: Dark red
Aromas: Extremely aromatic, black cherry, pomegranate, earth, violets, clove spice, black pepper
Taste: Soft, velvety texture, mouthfilling, complex flavors of black cherry, pomegranate, strawberry, black raspberry, chocolate, minerals, and black pepper spice.