2004 Central Coast Zinfandel
Vineyards
This wine hails from two distinctly different meso-climates. The old-vine vineyards are located on the foothills of Mount Madonna while the third is located on the rolling hills of the San Lucas A.V.A. Two of the vineyards enjoy very old vine status both having been planted in the early 1900's and enjoy long hours of warm sunshine with their aged, dry-farmed vines producing meager yields of intensely-flavored berries. San Lucas Vineyard, now 20+ years old, hails from a cool Region 1 meso-climate where gravelly-loams prevail providing for grapes that bring bright blackberry notes, and backbone to the ensuing wine.
In the Winery
The grapes were harvested by hand in mid-October 2004. Yields were below average in the old-vine vineyards, at 1.0-1.5 tons per acre and normal at San Lucas with yields of 3.0-4.0 tons per acre. Arriving at the winery, we de-stemmed the grapes and fermented them in small lots in open top fermentors. Over the next two weeks, the grapes were macerated using the traditional punch down method. The whole-berry fermentation combined with the cooler temperatures maintained in small lot fermentation allow us to produce a rich Zinfandel, with all of its abundant fruit intact. Following the wine's initial fermentation, we barreled the wine in a combination of air-dried American (70%) and French (30%) oak. The wine was bottled in early September of 2006.
COLOR: Deep ruby with a purple edge
NOSE: Ripe raspberry and ollalieberry even a hint of blueberry with accents of black pepper and vanilla.
MOUTH: Bright and medium-bodied with a very supple palate. You'll again encounter the rich brambleberry notes complemented by soft vanilla. Though imminently quaffable, this wine will age gracefully.