2022 Monte Rosso Zinfandel

Focused nose of red raspberry, ripe strawberry, terra cotta, honeycomb, cocoa and tobacco leaf. Medium-bodied with the flavors matching the aromatics. Lingering acidity extends the finish. This is a classic Monte Rosso Zinfandel. SR (4/25)

These zinfandel vines were planted in the 1880s in the red, iron-rich soils of the Mayacamas range. Low yields and moderate summer weather brought ideal ripeness by late August. Plentiful acidity and minerality are hallmarks of this historic vineyard. Approachable now, this fine wine will continue to evolve over the next decade. SR (12/23)

In the early 1880s, Emmanuel Goldstein and his business partner Benjamin Dreyfus had grocery stores in San Francisco. They decided to move up to Sonoma Valley and began cultivating and planting the Monte Rosso vineyard. The first vines were planted in 1886, and some of that zinfandel is still producing fruit today. By 1938, Goldstein sold the vineyard to Louis M. Martini. In 2002, the property was purchased by E.J. Gallo. In 2014, Brenae Royal joined the team as Vineyard Manager and continues to take excellent care of the old vines. These tall, healthy, gnarly, old-vines grow in red, iron-rich soil around 1100’ on the Mayacamas Range.

Rainfall: 22 inches (below normal)
Bloom: Early May
Weather: A warm summer followed by a cold, wet spring. Hot days and cool nights helped retain acidity and hastened ripening.

Harvest Dates: 24 August – 5 September
Grapes: Average Brix 25.7˚
TA: 8.4 g/L
pH: 3.52
Fermentation: 100% whole cluster pressed; natural primary and secondary
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (18% new, 5% one year old, 7% two years old, 10% three years old, and 60% five-plus years old).
Aging: Sixteen months in barrel

Sustainably farmed, hand-harvested, grapes; whole-cluster pressed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by a full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 134 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.