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Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2014, #89

90 Points - Wine Spectator, May 31, 2014 & 2 GOLD Medals

Old Vine Mendocino Zinfandel is a treasure. Grown on the benchlands and slopes of mountainsides — this wild-looking old vine Zinfandel offers fruit that winemaker Carol Shelton, with her 35+ years of experience and creativity, has transformed into a wine that is concentrated yet soft, creamy and full of flavor.  Our Wild Thing Zinfandel was named for these wild- looking vines and also for the uninoculated, or wild, yeast ferment that was used to create it.  It takes a lot of effort to tame this wild fruit, but it is worth all the trouble.

Winemaker Notes:

Aromas of black cherry, plum and raspberry fruit combine with a beautiful hint of vanilla-oak loveliness, smoothly textured in mouth, very creamy and round, the finish is long and has lush jammy fruit — this wine is dangerously good!   Remember – you are what you drink ….

Harvest Date:

October 17 & 18, 2011

Fermentation Characteristics:

Uninoculated, or wild yeast fermentation, which took 5 days to start (cold soak!) for total of 16 days on skins. Déléstaged (pronounced 'del-ess-TAHJd) before 12° Brix

Cellar Storage/Aging:

2 years in a mix of American and French barrels, 20% were new or one-year old

Appellation:

Mendocino County

Release Date:

November 1, 2013