 |
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
The Reserve Series...2008 Zinfandel - El Dorado 'Reserve'
Source: Spanish Creek Ranch, Suma Kaw Vineyard, Gold Hill Vineyard and Perry Creek Vineyard, El Dorado County
Harvest Date: October 18, 2007
Brix at Harvest: 26
Time in Barrel: 18 months
Type of Oak:Neutral French & American
Alcohol: 16%
Bottled: April 9, 2009
Production: 316 cases
Winemaker's Notes: For fans of Elegant Foothill Zins - Eureka ! - you have found it! This is the long-awaited follow-up wine to the 2001 vintage that won many accolades across California, including the Herbert Walker award as best Zinfandel of the El Dorado appellation.
It is a joy to work with the fruit from these outstanding, high-altitude vineyards (2,900+ feet.) The end product is big and rich with a natural multi-layered complex style. Zinfandels from the El Dorado appellation typically carry a very pleasant raspberry flavor characteristic and that shows prominently in this wine. The grapes were crushed and fermented in small, open-top containers. After pressing and settling the wine aged for 18 months in mostly neutral French and American oak barrels. Racking was done via gravity flow and the wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
The light touch on the oak and minimalist winemaking style causes all the Zinfandel fruit character possible to show through in the finished wine. This wine is drinkable well now; cellaring is recommended for no more than four years from bottling in order to enjoy its fruit-forward character.
Bright Hope Designs