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Wine Details
Price:
$22.00 per bottle
Description:
The 2004 Tributary Zinfandel comes from our original, dry-farmed, head-pruned vineyard. Due to a small fruit set in spring, we only received 2 1/2 tons per acre, which led to a very intense, concentrated wine. The fruit ripened easily and the resulting wine retained fresh, fruit flavors, along with noticeable peppery spice. We decided to add a 15% addition of Syrah, which lends color and complexity to the blend. This Zin has a dark ruby color with aromas of ripe red fruits, cedar and spice. The palette is classic Zin with its pure bright, ripe, red raspberry, strawberry, leather, and hints of cracked pepper. Aged on 3-year-old French and eastern European oak for two years, the slight vanillin and spice adds to the long fruity finish.
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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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