2024 Papera Zinfandel

Aromas of red currant and ripe raspberry on the nose. Medium bodied with juicy acidity. Ruby in color with boysenberry, dried tarragon, and clove on the palate. Supple and elegant with a long finish. MB (6/26)

A wet winter delivered abundant rainfall, supporting the vines through a long growing season. Their full, green canopies photosynthesized effectively, protecting the fruit during a heat spell in early July. These head-trained, dry-farmed vines were planted in 1934 on the Piner-Olivet benchland of the Russian River Valley. After fourteen months in barrel, this sumptuous wine has concentrated. Delightful now and over the next eight years. SR (1/26)

Papera Ranch was planted in 1934, shortly after the repeal of Prohibition, by Italian immigrant farmer Celestino “Charlie” Papera. Tom Feeny farmed the vineyard from the 1990s until his passing in 2006, after which, it looked like the old vines would be pulled out in favor of planting pinot noir. Stanford professor and Zinfandel enthusiast, Stuart Coulson, purchased the property shortly thereafter, preventing its removal. The vineyard sits near the intersection of Piner and Olivet Roads in the Russian River Valley, with Mancini Ranch and several other historic vineyards nearby.

Rainfall: 50 inches (above average)
Bloom: Mid-May
Weather: A cool start to the season. From early June on, the weather was warm to hot, leading to a condensed harvest.

Harvest Dates: 9 – 26 September
Grapes: Average Brix 24.9˚
TA: 6.52 g/L
pH: 3.60
Fermentation: 100% crushed and fermented in stainless steel tanks with two pump-overs daily. Natural primary and secondary fermentation.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (15% new and 85% five-plus years old).
Aging: Fourteen 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, 118 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.