The Zen Of Zin
“Wine is the blending of art and science.” – Carol Shelton
Carol Shelton has been making wine for over 30 years, and Zinfandel remains her favorite varietal. She doesn’t just make Zin, she dedicates herself to making the best Zin in the world. Viewing the choice of barrels as her spice rack, and applying different winemaking techniques to bring out the best in each vineyard, Carol continues to master the Zen of Zin.
Hands-on Approach
“Hands-off” winemaking is the current buzz phrase for great winemaking. Would you be impressed with a chef that says they practice a hands-off approach in their kitchen? Carol views winemaking like cooking, a delicate balance between science and art or intuition. She starts with the best ingredients – exceptional grapes from throughout California.
Carol works closely with each of her growers, visiting the vineyards throughout the growing season and discussing everything from crop load to canopy management. As harvest approaches, communication with the growers increases and Carol visits each vineyard, tasting and testing the grapes to ensure the optimal time to pick the fruit. Definitely not a hands-off approach.
Yeast Queen
For Carol the use of yeast during fermentation is another practice of science and art. As a UC Davis undergrad, Carol worked on a yeast study in which she proved different strains or types of yeast would yield different flavor components in a wine. “I’m still referred to as the Queen of Yeasts by many of my colleagues in the industry,” say Carol. “I select the yeast based on what the fruit tastes like when it is picked and how I can enhance the natural flavors of the grapes.” Managing a cellar during harvest has its own challenges without using a different yeast for each wine, yet for Carol the selection of yeasts is just as important as selecting the vineyard.
Every Barrel Matters
Once the wine is ready for barrel aging, Carol thoughtfully chooses barrels from 20 different regions and producers throughout the world to enhance and bring out the best flavors in the wine. This type of barrel regime is time-consuming and costly, but results in richly balanced, full-flavored wines.
Once the wines are gently tucked away in barrels for many months of aging, Carol checks on them often just as you might check on a simmering sauce. This close attention to every detail, and very hands-on approach, produces outstanding wines.
Not All Zins are Created Equal
When selecting vineyards to provide grapes for Carol Shelton Wines, Mitch and Carol seek out the best of a region. Their goal is to have Zinfandels that not only reflect the terroir of the region, but also offer a different flavor profile from their other Zinfandels. This process takes time and research. They taste the fruit before harvest, taste Zins produced from the grapes by other wineries, taste Zins produced from adjacent vineyards, and talk to growers in the region.
Thinking Green
Mitch and Carol also seek out growers whose grapes are either certified organically grown or who practice sustainable viticulture practices. Treating the land, the vines and the grapes with respect reflects on the quality of the fruit now and in the years to come. They also seek out growers who appreciate Carol’s hands-on approach in the vineyard, and allow her expertise to help them produce the best grapes possible.
The vineyards and grapes, the relationships with the growers, the yeast selection, barrel regime and so much more are the components that make the Carol Shelton’s wines some of the finest you’ll ever taste.
