2011 Zinfandel Heritage Vines™ Alegría Vineyards

92 points - Purely Domestic Wine Report
90 points - Wine Enthusiast
Double Gold Medal - 2014 American Fine Wine Competition
Gold Medal - 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Tasting Notes

In 2011, our ancient vines produced yet another classic vintage of Russian River Zin. The aromatics offer a seductive blend of ripe brambly wild berries with a generous dusting of freshly ground pepper, baking spices, and toasty oak.

The entry reveals a luscious concentration of black raspberry, dark cherry, and plum. Vanillin oak and spicy pepper appear as the flavors broaden and layer across the palate, with cocoa and coffee notes joining in at the long finish. As the wine opens, its depth, complexity, and sophistication shines through.

Winemaker's Notes

Our old Zinfandel vineyard—which dates back to 1890—reflects the pre-Prohibition practice of field blending. The ancient vines in Alegría Vineyards require extraordinarily focused individual attention, but the extra labor is justified by the resulting wine.

More than 17 grape varieties are inter-planted with the Zinfandel. We harvest and co-ferment the varieties together, which produces our Heritage Vines Zinfandel’s distinctive complexity of aromas and flavors. This wine is literally blended from the day it is picked.

In 2011, the cool growing season in the Russian River Valley gave the vines extended time to fully mature and develop rich, concentrated flavors. The grapes were harvested in two lots because the younger, 90% Zin block ripened ahead of the older mixed blocks. Rigorous and painstaking hand sorting, both in the field and at the winery, assured that the highest quality grapes went into the fermenter. Bill’s careful selection of oak barrels from diverse forests and coopers added notes of spice and tannin to the layered grape flavors.

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