2005 Russian River Valley Zinfandel
Von Weidlich Vineyard
The old vines at Robert Von Weidlich’s vineyard trace the Zinfandel legacy back to the late 19th century. Robert’s first planting in 1937 utilized budwood from an 1884 vineyard farmed by the Morelli family, who had developed most of the ridge along the Harrison Grade. Robert later passed on the heritage of these vines by selecting budwood from his planting and filling out the balance of his vineyard. The vines are all head-trained and cane-pruned in traditional fashion, though some blocks have the head trained to different heights to offset reflective heat.
The delicate nature of an old vine Zinfandel vineyard is mirrored by its yield history. In 2005, the old vines at Von Weidlich Vineyard relaxed in the dry, temperate weather that prevailed throughout the spring and summer, and produced an average crop of ca. 2 tons/acre. Compare this to the yield in 2004, when an unsettled spring and a brutally hot end of summer reduced the yield to well under ¼ ton/acre! The 2005 crop achieved full ripeness with the extended hang time, amplifying the candied black fruit flavors typical of this vineyard.
We harvested on October 11. The de-stemmed fruit was lightly crushed and allowed to cold-soak for three days prior to inoculation. To promote early extraction of color and tannin, the wine was pumped over three times per day with additional cap punchdowns before peak fermentation, and gradually less as the wine went dry. It was then racked to barrel immediately after pressing to preserve both the deep color and the spicy fruit. The wine was aged in French oak, 50% new, and racked every four months. As usual, no fining was employed. Flavors were beautifully concentrated, and our hands-off winemaking style allowed the unique Von Weidlich characters to shine through, as natural an expression as possible of the vineyard’s terroir.
TASTING NOTES:
Blackberry, ripe plum, and white pepper spice are the hallmarks of Von Weidlich Zinfandel. Toasty oak runs the backbone of the flavors, which are thick with berry and black cherry. An expansive mid-palate segues into a shimmering length of pure Zinfandel varietal character.
TECHNICAL NOTES
| Production Details | Analytical Data | |
| Blend: 100% Zinfandel | Harvested: October, 2005 | |
| Vineyard: Von Weidlich | Brix 25.º | |
| Appellation: Russian River Valley |
T.A. 7. g/l | |
| Aging: Twenty-five months in French oak |
pH 3. | |
| Cooperage: Roberts, Francois Freres & Doreau |
Bottled: December 3, 2007 | |
| Barrel Age: 50% new & 50% 1-year-old |
T.A. 5. g/l | |
| Production: 538 cases produced | pH 3 |
