The 2014 Zinfandel is deep ruby as you pour it into the glass. Its fruit-forward notes of raspberry and plum are accented by white pepper and vanilla spice.  These fruit-forward notes carry through to the palate with juicy flavours of raspberry, wild dark berries and white pepper with a touch of cinnamon. The finish has nice tannins that balance out the lush, berry texture.

Sonoma County is among the finest regions in the United States for Zinfandel. The core of this wine comes from four of the best AVAs for this quintessential American grape: Dry Creek (benchland, terra rosa), Alexander (gravelly alluvial), Chalk Hill and Russian River Valleys. The Syrah blended with it comes mainly from Lake County, which excels in Syrah production. 2014  was  our  second  drought  year  throughout  winter  and  spring.  We  had  bud  break  in  late March  and  good  fruit  set  in  early  May. Summer was consistently warm, but in our eyes not too extreme. The warm weather lasted until early fall making for an unseasonably early harvest and presenting a more fruit forward vintage. Due to advanced temperatures in September, the grapes were harvested slightly earlier than average from September 16th to October 8th producing a more fruit-forward, and ripe Zinfandel. Harvested in small lots, the grapes were allowed to cold soak up to three days before fermentation. They were inoculated with yeast strains specically  that  enhance  the  raspberry  fruit  and  fermentation  completion.  The  wine  was  pressed  off  slightly  sweet  to  avoid  excessive tannins. The individual lots were racked on the lees and re-racked into one, two and three-year-old French and American oak barrels. It was aged for 9 months in new and used French, and American oak barrels. the result is a wine that is a joy to drink now.

Food Pairing: pairs nicely with a grilled steak or red pasta dish.