2019 "Old Vines" Zinfandel, Sonoma County • St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

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90 Points | Wine Spectator

Tasting Notes

A vibrant blend of old vine fruit, this aromatic wine offers layers and layers of rich, fruit flavors and spice. Juicy raspberry, blackberry preserves, and a touch of dried cranberry are balanced with spicy notes of cinnamon and black pepper that merge with a lengthy finish.

Vintage Notes

The 2019 harvest began on August 30 after a growing season that started with record rainfall and ended with warm, even temperatures throughout summer. With few heat spikes over the season, our vineyards had optimal conditions to develop full-flavored fruit with remarkable color and balanced acidity. We picked the majority of our fruit in September. Warm breezy days took place in October and the last of the grapes were harvested before the end of the month.

Vineyard Notes

The grapes in our Sonoma County “Old Vines” Zinfandel come from vineyards in Sonoma Valley, Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley. Planted 50 to more than 100 years ago, many of these historic vines are planted on St. George rootstock and are head-pruned and dry-farmed, producing low yields of fruit with highly concentrated, intense flavors and aromas.

Winemaker Notes

The grapes are gently de-stemmed and crushed before cold-soaking for three days to extract optimal color and flavor. The fruit is then inoculated with many different yeast strains to build complexity, then fermented in separate lots using a combination of pump-overs and delestage to soften tannins. Secondary malolactic fermentation occurs in French oak barrels.The wine ages in barrel for sixteen months before final blending and bottling.