WINEMAKER NOTES

Red fruit such as raspberry, cherry and cranberry dominate the nose with an undertone of earthiness in the background. The mouth exhibits excellent mid-palate from the soft tannins, contributing to an elegant and long-lasting finish.

VINEYARD NOTES

Zinfandel is a grape genetically identical to the grape called Primitivo from Puglia, Southern Italy. Our 2015 Zinfandel was grown at Chiarito Vineyard, owned and farmed by John Chiarito. John is a second generation Italian-American who planted his vineyard just east of Ukiah, twelve miles north of Hopland. This vineyard is head-pruned, dry-farmed and cultivated in a very unique and old style method. This method consists of plowing and cross cultivating, allowing the grapes to maximize the full expression from the soil. The warm days and cool nights of inland Mendocino County are ideal for growing Zinfandel.

Harvest Date: September 26, 2015

Fermentation: De-stemmed and crushed to a stainless steel tank and cold soaked for 5 days at 50F to extract color and desirable phenolic compounds. Fermented to dryness at 85F. Only free-run fraction transferred to barrel where it underwent native malo-lactic fermentation.

Aging: 16 months

Cooperage: Neutral French oak