2022 Zinfandel Reserve, Dry Creek Valley

History

Since 1996, Dashe Cellars has been making Zinfandels from the Dry Creek Valley. Our Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel is the flagmark wine of the Dashe Cellars label. 

To make this special Dry Creek Reserve wine we selected two of our favorite vineyards from the region and tasted every barrel, selecting only the best for this Reserve wine. We wanted to show the distinctive characteristics of the Dry Creek Valley with a complex spectrum of flavors, and a balance of fruit and bright acidity. This is a particularly structured and fruit-forward wine, with a significant component of Petite Sirah and Grenache added for complexity.  

Production

The vintage of 2022 got off to a great start—early Spring rains gave the vines a basis for great steady growth and moderate summer weather allowed steady ripening.  A heat wave near Labor Day pushed the grapes to ripeness and we were able to harvest early enough so the grapes ripened beautifully.  Half the grape lots were harvested before the heat and the remainder immediately after, so the flavors were perfectly balanced.  

The wine was fermented using the natural yeast population and the resulting wine shows off the terroir of the vineyards. The wine was aged mostly in French oak puncheons to gain the softness of oak aging without adding excessive oak flavors. Finally, in our blending trials, we added about 20% of Petite Sirah, for structure, depth, and long aging potential, and 4% Grenache for fruit and supple texture. 

Production: 559 cases 750mL 

Tasting Notes