Monthly Spotlight
Each month we spotlight one of our small-production, single-vineyard wines with a deep dive into the vineyard location, property history, wine style and pairing preferences. This month, our monthly spotlight is…
2016 Mazzoni Home Ranch
10% off 1-11 bottle purchases, 15% off 12+. Members receive 15% off 1-11 bottle purchases, 20% off 12+.
TASTING NOTE
Garnet red color. Ripe cherry fruit aroma, raspberries, compote, chapparal, and exotic oak spices. Well-defined bramble fruits on entry, juicy acid, black tea, oak spice, and very rich tannins carrying out a long finish.
WINEMAKER VIDEO
LOCATION
West side of Alexander Valley, just north of Geyserville
HISTORY
Giuseppe Mazzoni and his fourteen-year-old brother-in-law, Abramo Trusendi, arrived from Italy in 1898 and went straight to work at the Italian Swiss Colony vineyard cooperative in Asti, California. In 1899, the two managed to acquire hillside acreage nearby overlooking Alexander Valley from the west. By 1910 they had built a winery and begun making wine. Except for the Prohibition years, the Mazzoni family produced wine there until 1978. They were great believers in the contribution each varietal in a field blend could make to the finished wine. Accordingly, their century-old zinfandel is interplanted with carignane, which adds elegance and lively acidity, and petite sirah, which provides spice and depth. The Mazzoni Home Ranch was purchased in 1988 by Niccolo and Flora Oltranti. They have replanted parts of the abandoned hillside, and in some years we will include a small amount from these younger zinfandel vines.
PAIRINGS
Recipe: Baked Chicken “Bomba”
These simple, rustic meatballs stuffed with a decadent ricotta filling are easy to whip up on a weeknight and are a fantastic pairing with Mazzoni’s bright red fruit and exotic spice.