2014 Hooker Creek Zinfandel

Nose of ripe black cherry, licorice and mint. Concentrated plum and fig fruit on the palate with well-rounded tannins and balanced acidity. Lingering aftertaste with notes of chaparral.

The 2014 is our second harvest from this old Sonoma Valley ranch. These head-trained vines, planted to a traditional field blend, produced a small, concentrated crop that ripened early. Half the grapes were fermented using a submerged cap to maximize gentle extraction of color and tannin. Robust and full-bodied, this appealing zinfandel will be enjoyable over the next six to seven years.

This wine comes from old zinfandel vines planted along Hooker Creek north of the town of Glen Ellen in Sonoma Valley. These old vines were planted one hundred and twenty seven years ago on a part of the Agua Caliente Spanish Land grant purchased from General Vallejo by Joseph Hooker and William Sherman in 1854. Despite an ethically questionable life style, “Fighting Joe” Hooker went on to command the Army of the Potomac in 1863 as a major general. After losing the battle of Chancellorsville to a Confederate force under Robert E. Lee, half the size of his army, he was relieved of command. This is the second harvest from this vineyard.

Rainfall: 18 inches (1/2 of normal)
Bloom: Mid-May
Weather: Very dry and cold December and January; most of the rain fell February through April. Cool spring and early summer delayed ripening.

Harvest Dates: 5 September
Grapes: Average brix 26.1˚
Fermentation: Full crush, floating cap. Pressed at nine days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried american oak barrels (25% new, 40% one and two years old, 35% three and four years old.
Aging: Twelve months in barrel

Hand harvested grapes; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally occurring malolactic bacteria; 2% water added; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 145 ppm over the course of aging); pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.

Average Rating: 90.3

No. of Tasting Notes: 54

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