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Wine Details
Price:
Description:
Not all wines need be ponderous brutes, sometimes a simple and easy wine is what the occassion or mood requires. Therefore this Zinfandel is made in a style that will fit the bill for a picnic and quaffing wine. The wine carries a pleasant varietal character, but isn’t out to make a statement about trying to be a port.
The grapes for this wine come from the Story Vineyard in Shenandoah Valley , Amador County . The vineyard is 1,300 feet above sea level, overlooking the middle fork of the Consumnes River .
After hand-harvesting the grapes were lightly crushed and then fermented in small, open-top containers. The wine was pressed in a small basket press after the grape sugars had fermented down to 2 Brix in order to retain an upfront fruitiness. After settling the wine finished fermentation in small oak barrels and then was carefully aged for 17 months. All movement of the wine was done by gravity flow and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
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Varietal Definition
Zinfandel:
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California wine vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in the 'heel' of Italy. It is typically made into a robust red wine. Its taste depends on the ripeness of the grapes from which it is made. Red berry fruits like raspberry predominate in wines from cooler areas such as the Napa Valley, whereas blackberry, anise and pepper notes are more common in wines made in warmer areas such as Sonoma County. Many Zinfandels come from head pruned ‘Old Vines’. ‘Old Vine’ is generally understood to mean a vine that is more than 50 years old and that produces less than three tons per acre. ‘Head Pruning’ is an old European style of pruning that trains the vine into the shape of a goblet. It requires no wires or other complex trellis systems. Head pruning spreads the fruit uniformly along the vine and allows light penetration.In the USA a semi-sweet Rosé (blush-style) wine called ‘White Zinfandel’ has achieved widespread popularity. In fact, this popularity has so outstripped all other forms that many fans think there is actually a grape called “White Zinfandel” (there isn’t)!
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