Dashe Vineyard Select Zinfandel

This is without a doubt one of the best wines that weve made from this young vineyard. We think that there are a number of reasons for this: the vines are more established than previous years; the 2010 vintage produced a smaller crop; the cool season led to more acidity that highlighted the fruit. But for whatever reason, this is an exceptionally vibrant and intense zinfandel.
HISTORY

The Florence Vineyard is an example of a younger-vine vineyard thatthrough selection of the vineyard site, pruning for low yields, climate, and soil typeproduces fruit that tastes more like old-vine plantings. Its an extremely rocky vineyard in the north of the Dry Creek Valley, and it increasingly is becoming one of our very favorite Dry Creek Valley vineyards for the intensity and complexity of the wines produced.

The vineyardowned by Jack Florence of Rockpile Ranch famewas planted from cuttings of the St. Peters Church clone, taken from the original Rockpile Ranch vines. This clone of zinfandel has very tiny, intensely flavored berries, and the large proportion of skins to juice from these tiny berries make for an exceptionally rich, complex wine. In 2010, the yields were low, so the Florence Vineyard zinfandel was as intense, aromatic, and richly-textured as ever.

PRODUCTION

We used our special custom-made gridded tanks to ferment the wines. These tanks, outfitted with stainless-steel grids that can be raised or lowered on top of the crushed grapes, allow us to submerge the cap of grape skins beneath the surface of the fermenting wine. We extract color, body, and complexity from the grapes without extracting too much of the drying tannins found in the seeds. The result are intense and complex wines that feel velvety and round on the tongue rather than harsh or tannic.

We conducted the primary and secondary fermentation using only the natural populations of yeast and bacterias on the grapes, as always, to enhance the vineyard-specific flavors we get from these grapes. At dryness, the wine was gently pressed in a membrane press and pumped to older 60-gallon French oak barrels.

The wine was aged for 14 months in oak before being racked up to tank for bottling. In our blending trials, we decided the wine was superb on its own, and did not blend anything else to interfere with the intense, lovely fruit. This is an ideal wine to have with grilled lamb, intense sauces, or any other food that can stand up to its substantial fruit and acidity.
Production Notes
Varietals: 100% Zinfandel from the Florence Ranch
Appellation: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Alcohol: 14.3% by vol.
Time in oak: 14 months
Oak: 100% French; 15 % one year old and the remainder neutral
Production: 544 cases, 750mL
Release date: July 30, 2012
Sugg. retail price: $35.00 bottle, 750mL
Optimum time for consumption: 2012-2019
Aromas: Very aromatic spice and floral notes : black pepper, clove, lavender, violets. Initial high tones are followed by dark fruit of black raspberry and black cherry.
Tasting Notes
Color: Dark reddish-purple
Taste: Great vibrant flavors of black raspberry, black cherry, and cranberry. Wonderful balance of fruit and acidity, making a very zingy wine.

Region Description

One of California’s oldest varietals, this grape actually hails from Croatia. Red Zinfandel makes rich dark wines that are high in alcohol and medium to high in tannin. The can have a blackberry or raspberry aroma, a spicy character and even a jammy flavor. Some Zinfandels are relatively light-bodied and meant to be enjoyed young, while others benefit from aging.