2008 Buchignani Carignane

The 2008 is our tenth vintage from this small vineyard in the hills north of Dry Creek Valley. Planted in the thirties, forties, and fifties, it has been meticulously cared for by Dino Buchignani, a role now filled by his son Stan. As in 2007, the crop was small; moderate summer weather slowed ripening, allowing the fruit to develop full flavor. Each of the five parcels was picked just after Labor Day, and fermented on its naturally occurring yeasts. Pressed at dryness, the wine completed a natural malolactic fermentation and was racked to air-dried american oak for twelve months of barrel aging. New oak was held to ten percent, enhancing—but not overpowering—the pure fruit and elegant structure of this old-vine carignane. Enjoyable now, it will be at its best over the next four to five years.

Stan Buchignani’s ranch is located on Dutcher Creek Road, in the hills on the far western edge of the Alexander Valley appellation. The majority of the vineyard’s carignane was planted in the 1940s. Stan’s grandfather, Dominico Cerruti, planted the first block in 1927; his father, Dino, planted the last in the early 1950s. The vineyard’s climate bears a strong resemblance to that of upper Dry Creek Valley, three miles to the south, where days are warm. Fog, which tends to hang low in the valley, burns off sooner in the hills. Carignane from Buchignani is complex; its fine structure much like that of a field-blend zinfandel.

Rainfall: 30 inches (below average)
Bloom: Early May
Weather: Dry spring and warm, dry summer with
no sustained heat spells

Harvest Date: 3 September
Grapes: Average brix 25.1˚
Fermentation: No inoculation; natural primary
and secondary. Total maceration time 9 days (double
pumpover each day)
Barrels: 100% air-dried american oak (5% new,
25% one and two years old, 70% three and four years
old)
Aging: Twelve months in barrel

Average Rating: 87.9

No. of Tasting Notes: 59

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