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 ….
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Harvest Date:
- September 23+28, and October 16+22, 2013
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Average TA/pH at Harvest:
- 0.55 gm/100ml
pH 3.58
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Fermentation Characteristics:
- Uninoculated (WILD) yeast fermentation, which took 5 days to start (cold soak!) for total of 16 days on skins. Déléstaged (pronounced 'del-ess-TAHJd) three times before 12° Brix
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Cellar Storage/Aging:
- 10 months in a mix of American and French barrels -- 20% were new or one-year old
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Varietal:
- 80% old vine Zinfandel, 14% old vine Carignane, 5% Petite Sirah, 1% Alicante Bouschet ***Sustainably farmed and organically grown
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Appellation:
- 75% Mendocino County, 24% Sonoma County, 1% Lodi
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Release Date:
- 12/1/2023
