2022 Zinfandel, West Vineyard

HistoryThe West Vineyard Zinfandel has long been one of the major component vineyards of our Dry Creek Reserve Zinfandel.  These head-trained Zinfandel vines always produce one of the biggest and darkest Zinfandels we make. 
In this year, for the first time, we included the tiny amount of wine that comes from the old vine Petite Sirah and old Vine Grenache vines at the lower end of the vineyard. The addition of these “spice-rack” wines made for an extremely complex, round, aromatic, and richly-textured wine. 

Production
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In 2022 the grapes at the top of the vineyard matured quickly and for the first time ever, we harvested the grapes in August on the 27th. The older Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Grenache vines matured more slowly, and we picked them all in the early morning on September 11th. 

We hand-sorted the grapes on a conveyor, to eliminate any leaves or imperfect fruit. The crushed grapes were then fermented using only the natural yeast population on the grapes to conduct the fermentation. At dryness, the wine was gently pressed in a membrane press and pumped to 30% new and 70% 2-year or older 120 gallon French oak puncheons. 

During blending trials, we felt the Petite Sirah and Grenache really added a tremendous amount of flavor and richness to the wine.  It’s a wine that will age well in the cellar.

Tasting Notes:
Color:  Reddish-purple
Aroma: Black cherry, black raspberry, plum, pomegranate, chocolate.
Taste: Ripe blackberry, black raspberry. cassis, licorice.  Notes of black pepper, mocha, and chocolate. Almost sweet on entry (although it’s bone dry), with great texture and velvety mouthfeel. Very long, spicy, fruit-driven finish; great aging potential.