2001 Russian River Valley Zinfandel
From Von Weidlich Vineyard
The moderately warm, exceptionally even 2001 vintage heralded the new decade in fine fashion. The Von Weidlich Zinfandel was harvested on October 6, almost two weeks earlier than normal. The old vines offered barely a ton and a half per acre, and the juice, at 25.6 Brix, oozed at the crusher like blackberry syrup. The grapes were extracted by cold soak for three days, then inoculated. At dryness, the wine had intense color and an expansive core of tannin, so was pressed immediately and racked to barrel to preserve both the color and the spicy fruit. The malolactic fermentation proceeded spontaneously over the next ten months. The wine was aged in Dargaud & Jaegle and Meyrieux French oak, about half of it new oak with medium plus toast. The wine was bottled without fining.
TASTING NOTES:
Aromas dense with black cherry, plum and ripe raspberry are spiced with clove,
chocolate and oak, a harbinger of the wine's intensity. The entry is lush with gobs
of fruit, giving way to an expansive, tongue coating mid-palate and layers of spiced
berry and cherry. Ample tannin supports the wine's finish, which reverberates with
pure Zinfandel character. This hearty wine pairs neatly with all manner of roasted
meats, but its inherent balance will equally enhance more rustic or adventurous meals.
TECHNICAL NOTES
| Production Details | Analytical Data | |
| Blend: 100% Zinfandel | Harvested: October 6, 2001 | |
| Vineyard: Von Weidlich | Brix 25.6 ¼ | |
| Appellation: Russian River Valley |
T.A. 8.4 g/l | |
| Aging: Eighteen months | pH 3.29 | |
| Cooperage: Dargaud et Jaegle, Meyrieux | Bottled: May 5, 2002 | |
| Barrel Age: 50% new/50% 1-year-old |
T.A. 6.1 g/l | |
| Bottles Produced: 8004 | pH 3.70 |
