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Wine Details
Price:
$28.00 per bottle
Description:
Rich, round and deep, the 2003 OMV has the ‘berry pie thing’ of the 1993, but it also has additional texture and sweet earthiness from its increased time on the lees before the first racking, similar the 1999. Both of these older vintages are aging and developing well, and this should be no exception, yet I think the 2003 is beginning a bit rounder and fuller than either of those vintages at a similar stage. Since 1997, there has been a blueberry note in our OMV’s, and I think it has something to do with the more ‘reductive’ aging regime we have gravitated toward since then. I like the complex interplay between the wide range of fruit characters and our winemaking choices that we see in these long-aging wines. I know of no Zinfandels like these.
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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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