2006 Zinfandel

($29.99)

Tasting Notes

This wine is a fruit bomb of biblical proportions. The aromas and flavours could be inventoried as vanilla, strawberry jam, pepper, and all shades between these. Holding all this fruit are some healthy tannins and generous alcohol. With a big mouth feel, big fruit, and big finish, this is the consummate grilled red meat wine.

Notes on Fermentation

The Primitivo clone came in early with berries the size of large cherries and no botrytis which Zinfandel is notorious for. This was separated into 2 separate lots with one fermented hot to get some tannins and the other fermented cooler to retain the fruit bomb. Both worked. The Fournier Zinfandel came in with botrytis, again, and we spent hours on the sorting line, again. We ended up with some pretty nice fruit in the fermenter though which was fermented hot and quickly to pressing. All of the above lots ended up with silly high acidity at the end of alcoholic fermentation so we crossed our fingers and racked them into barrels and sure enough, the malolactic fermentation took care of the acidity for us, softening it off dramatically. The barrel mix consisted of new and one year old American barrels with a few thin stave French Troncais to soften one of the more tannic lots. Each lot was left on fine lees in barrels for about 8 months. It was then racked, blended, and bottled in late summer '07.