Our first release of the 2021 Vintage!
Vineyard Notes: The Walkers have been growing grapes in El Dorado County since the 1930’s. Their 220 acre property, sitting at 2100 ft of elevation, is planted to Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Barbera & Petite Sirah. The 2019 Zinfandel was sourced from their back vineyard, where the head-trained Zinfandel vines were planted in the 1970’s & are clones of the original plantings from the 30’s, grafted on St George rootstock. The vineyard soil is a coarse loam with lots of sand.
Cellar Notes: 2 tons of fruit was picked directly into 1-ton bins, which we then filled with CO2 to start the carbonic maceration. 2.5 weeks later on Sep 3, we stepped on the whole clusters to release the juice, then pressed the the wine on Sep 6. It was then racked to a stainless steel tank to finish fermentation and bottled.
Tasting Notes: Like many nouveau-style wines, there are big juicy tropical fruits up front, with banana & bubblegum playing supporting roles. The palate is exuberant with fresh watermelon, cherry candy & a hint of Zinfandel spice.