2021 Geyserville

Ruby-garnet in color with aromas of dark plum, black cherry, baking spices, cola, wet gravel, toasted oak, violets and lavender. A full-bodied entry with bold and dark fruit leads to a layered and complex mid-palate with fine-grained tannins. Natural acidity balances the wine, creating a long, juicy finish. TG (11/22)

First produced in 1966, we have made this zinfandel every year for fifty-six years. Consistency of quality and vineyard character are its hallmarks. A dry winter with a moderate spring and summer ripened the grapes evenly. Showing plentiful fruit, elegant tannins and bright acidity, this fine wine will develop fully over the next fourteen years. TG (12/22)

First produced in 1966, this is our longest continuous zinfandel production. The grapes are grown in three adjoining vineyards on a single soil type, deposited by an ancient washout of the Russian River that carried river stone and gravel. It is approximately one-and-a-quarter miles long and half a mile wide.

Rainfall: 12.3 inches (below average)
Bloom: Early May
Weather: A dry winter and spring stressed the vines, limiting yields and concentrating flavors.

Harvest Dates: 3 September – 1 October
Grapes: Average Brix 24.7˚
TA: 6.84 g/L
pH: 3.55
Fermentation: Full Crush, 100% floating cap. Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic) fermentations; daily pump-overs.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels; 68% Appalachian, 20% Kentucky, and 12% Ozark (30% new, 22% one year old, 25% two years old, and 23% three years old and older).
Aging: Sixteen months in barrel

Hand-harvested grapes; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally-occurring bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 141 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.