2004 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY ZINFANDEL
Rancho Bello Vineyard
The 2004 vintage was quite warm, and we picked Rancho Bello in mid-September, perhaps it’s earliest harvest ever.. As the season both started and finished early, the clusters certainly received ample hang time. And, it was quality hang time, as Ottimino’s vineyards in the cool Occidental section of Russian River Valley were not bludgeoned by the intense heat seen in other appellations during the first few weeks of September, where many clusters were lost to raisining. This was especially fortunate, given our dry-farmed vineyards. Albert Bello did remove a small amount of raisined fruit as we approached our harvest date, and we ultimately picked a crop only slightly smaller than normal, at about 2 tons per acre.
We followed our practices of minimal intervention winemaking. After de-stemming, the grapes were lightly crushed and then cold-extracted for two days with vigorous irrigation, which coaxed the color and tannin from the must early in the fermentation. This extraction process was maintained through to dryness, at which time the new wine was pressed and racked immediately to French oak for malolactic fermentation. Quarterly rackings softened the tannins and integrated the oak, which was coopered primarily by Francois Freres and Doreau, as well as some French oak barrels custom coopered for us by Keith Roberts in Cloverdale. The wine was aged in barrels for twenty-one months, and bottled without fining, making it as natural an expression of the vineyard as possible.
TASTING NOTES:
Ripe blackberry, mocha and cherry cordial dominate the aromas, accented with allspice and toasty oak. The flavors add hints of fresh blueberry, coffee and vanilla. The tannins are chewy and the entry leads to a broad middle, and a firm and persistent finish. This Zinfandel was designed for its versatility with food, and its heartiness should lead you to a broad spectrum of exotic pairings.
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TECHNICAL NOTES
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| Production Details |
Analytical Data
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| Blend: | 100% Zinfandel | Harvested: | September 17, 2004 | |||||
| Vineyard: | Rancho Bello | Brix 25.8º | ||||||
| Appellation: | Russian River Valley | T.A. 6.8 g/l | ||||||
| Aging: | Twenty-one months | pH 3.58 | ||||||
| Cooperage: | Francois, Roberts (custom-built), Doreau | Bottled: | July 18, 2006 | |||||
| Barrel Age: | 35% new & 65% 1- & 2-year-old | T.A. 5.8 g/l | ||||||
| Production: | 880 cases produced | pH 3.78 | ||||||
