2019 Old School Late Harvest Zinfandel

Beautiful red garnet color with aromatics of red plum, Maraschino cherries, cinnamon, candied apple, baking spices, sweet oak, and creme bruleé. A soft entry with a medium body leads way to a silky sweetness with polished tannins and fresh acidity. This wine is perfect for holiday fares, pre or post-meal cheeses or on its own. Enjoy now or further develop with aging through 2026. TG (10/22)

A wet winter delivered abundant rainfall, supporting the vines through a long growing season. Their full, green canopies photosynthesize effectively, producing very ripe grapes. Dry winds at harvest further concentrated sugars. Once fermented, the resulting moderately sweet wine received twenty-five percent new oak, adding exotic spice. Rarely produced, it will be most ideal for wintertime, fireside drinking following a meal.

The two-room Independence School built in the 1870’s served the ranches south of Geyserville for nearly a century. Several of the small vineyards we harvest in what is now Geyserville Township are located in the historic school district. The old school, now a residence, stands adjacent to the vineyards.

Rainfall: 57.5 inches (above normal)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: Wet winter and spring followed by a warm dry summer, with dry winds at harvest.

Harvest Dates: 26 September, 8 October
Grapes: Average Brix 29.1˚
TA: 6.7 g/L
pH: 3.73
Fermentation: Grapes de-stemmed and fully crushed floating cap; natural primary and secondary; natural yeast fermentation; pressed at six days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (25% new, 75% six years old).
Aging: Ten months in barrel

Hand-harvested grapes; destemmed and crushed. Fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria. Minimum effective sulfur (35 ppm at crush, 140 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.

See all food pairing recipes we have created specifically for this wine.