2022 Geyserville

Deep ruby in color with aromas of black cherry, dark plum, sarsaparilla, baking spices, toasted oak, and lavender. A fresh entry with bold red cherry and raspberry flavors. Subtle tannins and natural acidity lead to a long and pleasant finish. TG (10/23)

Low rainfall limited yields. A warm summer proceeded to ripen the grapes evenly. However, on Labor Day, a record-breaking heat wave threatened the zinfandel with rapid overripening. We picked day and night to bring the grapes in ideally ripe. Fourteen months in barrel has fully integrated the fruit and tannin of this fine wine. Approachable now, it will continue to develop for twelve to fifteen years. TG (11/23)

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 a half-mile wide.

Rainfall: 25 inches (below average)
Bloom: Mid May
Weather: 2022 was the third year of drought. Thankfully, we received spring rains that helped the vines. These same rains caused shatter in our zinfandel, reducing their crop. Two heat spells pushed the vines to another early harvest.

Harvest Dates: 22 August – 13 September
Grapes: Average Brix 24.5˚
TA: 6.73 g/L
pH: 3.50
Fermentation: Full crush, 100% floating cap. Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic) fermentations; daily pump-overs.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels: 65% Appalachian, 20% Kentucky, and 12% Ozark (28% new, 24% one year old, 25% two years old, and 23% three plus years old).
Aging: Sixteen months in barrel

Hand-harvested organic 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, 139 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.

Zinfandel Chronicles: 97 Points “Breathtaking nose of red and black fruits, licorice and pepper. Medium to full body with perfect acidity. There is a concentration and structure here not often seen in field blends. Blackberry, raspberry compote, tobacco and pepper on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish with prominent silky tannins. The best Geyserville in recent memory. Drink over the next decade.” -Tom Lee (March 2024)

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