WINEMAKER NOTESThe Zinfandel grapes come from Los Chamizal vineyard in the Moon Mountain District, which resides at 800 feet elevation. It overlooks the Valley of the Moon AVA on the Mayacamas Mountains. The Zinfandel budwood comes from a Hambrecht vineyard selection. The soil profile is the most fascinating, offering a craggy fractured basalt (igneous rock), which tells us it was an ancient volcanic lava site. Geologically, basalt is where lava flow once was on the surface of a rocky planet or a moon, hence the “Moon Mountain District”. The vines are 25-30 years old and produce low yields of high-quality Zinfandel grapes.After handpicking, the fruit was destemmed and sent to tank, but 15% of the grapes were whole cluster co-fermented with the whole berry grapes. The fruit was cold soaked for 4-7 days, then fermented hot at an average temperature of 82°F before pressing and being aged in premium American oak barrels (15% new, 85% neutral) for 10 months. This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
THE VINTAGEThe season started off with bud break in early March, leading to a Spring that allowed for a perfect flowering and set for the grape clusters. Summer was also quite warm and long, leading into an early Autumn harvest season. The drought conditions led to lower yields in the vineyard, which gave a perfect concentration for juice versus skin ratio. The yields were so low in this vineyard that each vine had between 6-8 clusters per vine, which is great for winemaking, but tough for growing. The consistent summer weather encouraged our Zinfandel to ripen and was handpicked on September 1st, 2021 at optimal flavors and ripeness.
WINE FACTSWinemaker: Jason Moulton Appellation: Moon Mountain DistrictBlend: 100% Zinfandel Alcohol: 15.1%
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