2016 Heritage Vines™ Zinfandel Alegría Vineyards

92 points - Wine Spectator
91 points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
91 points - Purely Domestic Wine Report
4.5 stars - The Press Democrat Wine of the Week****

Tasting Notes

Tempting aromatics of ripe blackberry and raspberry sprinkled with baking spices, clove, freshly ground pepper, and fine-grained oak. The dark, smooth entry flows into a spicy mid-palate offering a briary, medium-bodied mix of luscious fruit—cranberry, blackberry, cherry, black raspberry, pomegranate, and a touch of blueberry. Discover layers of dark chocolate, espresso, and mocha tucked among the fruit flavors. White pepper notes join in the finish, as the wine expands and lingers.

Winemaker's Notes

Our Heritage Vines field blend comes entirely from the oldest part of our historic Alegria Vineyards, which is planted in well-drained Positas river terrace soils within a mile of the Russian River. When the vineyard was planted in 1890, it was standard practice to interplant multiple grape varieties to be harvested together in a field blend. Over the years, the wine growers who preceded us developed a blend that is unique to our vineyard.

Our 126-year old vines reacted positively to the end of a four-year drought by setting a heavier crop that we hand-thinned to maintain balance. 2016’s generally mild growing season gave us optimal flavors and aromas that were apparent as we fermented the grapes in small open-top fermenters with a combination of native and Rhone yeasts. We barrel-aged the wine sur lies for 14 months to meld and elevate the flavors of this age-worthy Zin, which will be enjoyable for many years to come.

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