2018 Old Vines Zinfandel, Anacleto Vineyard, Russian River Valley • St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

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2018

Old Vines, Zinfandel

Anacleto Vineyard

Russian River Valley

Tasting Notes

This sun-soaked Old Vines Zinfandel bursts with lively and refreshing notes of raspberry, espresso and vanilla bean. Its underlying floral elements hint at rose petal and sasparilla. The perfume alone draws you into the experience while traditional flavors of white pepper and ripe black cherry play across the palate. The bright and lively acidity is surprisingly refreshing for such mature vines.

Vintage Notes

2018 provided an ideal climate allowing time for the grapes to ripen to their optimum flavor structure. The year presented a fairly mild growing season with few heat spikes, inspiring winemakers to push harvest back a few weeks. This longer time on the vine was great for grapes and the mild temperatures kept the fruit from over-ripening. More than an inch of rain fell in early October in many locations, but there was little impact on the quality of the fruit. 2018 could be remembered as one of the longest and most desirable seasons in years, producing exceptional quality grapes throughout Sonoma County.

Vineyard Notes

This small-production wine starts with grapes grown on vines that are over 100 years old, planted in the early 1900s by Italian immigrants. Just a short walk south of Healdsburg, near the banks of the Russian River, this select 2-acre block of heritage Zinfandel vines produces small yields of exceptional fruit bursting with ripe, concentrated flavor.

Winemaker Notes

All grapes are hand-picked, hand-sorted and undergo a five-day cold soak to extract optimal color and flavor. After primary fermentation, the wine is pumped into French oak barrels, where it undergoes natural malolactic fermentation, followed by 16 months of aging.