2005 Alexander Valley Zinfandel

• 25+ year old vines
• Green fruit thinned at veraison
• Hand sorted before crush
• Whole berry fermentation
• Open top fermented
• French, Hungarian and American cooperage
• Harvested at 25+ brix
• 1 Week cold soak at 50 F
• OH 15.4%
• Less than 200 cases produced

Our Alexander Valley Zinfandel “Black Label” comes primarily from our vineyard located in the hills of the old town of Asti – and our high elevation vineyard in Cloverdale. The Asti vineyard is north of Healdsburg on a hillside facing south-east planted in gravel, serpentine and loam and hangs on a T-trellis. The fruit is carefully hand sorted before it is de-stemmed and then placed in the fermenter as whole berries. A long cold soak at 50 degrees was followed by a slow fermentation that was allowed to progress with it’s natural yeast at a slow and steady rate and then half way through the fermentation it was inoculated with a strong yeast isolate (L2226) to finish the job. The wine was aged in Hungarian, French and American cooperage at a rate of 30% new oak. This wine exhibits aromas of ripe raspberry, blueberry and spice with well balanced acidity and mouth-coating long finish.