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2003 Sonoma Valley
"Old Vines" Zinfandel
Appellation Selection
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5-Stars, Exceptional
(2000 Vintage)
RESTAURANT WINE, June
2003 - 5 Stars, Exceptional
"Extremely aromatic and fruity, this is a wonderful Zin, tasting of black raspberry, plum, black pepper, and toasted oak. Very well balanced; long persistent finish."
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The
Vineyards
We sourced Zinfandel for this wine from the Domenici Vineyard, which is one of the oldest living vineyards in the North Coast. These vines were planted between 1883 and 1888 by Franciscan Monks and range in age from 115 to 120 years old. The “banana belt” location of this vineyard and the well-drained volcanic soils on this property are well-suited to sun-seeking Zinfandel. |
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The Vintage
2003 was a nail-biting, late growing season…one vintners will not soon forget. We had a cold, rainy April, which slightly delayed grape development and reduced crop levels. Summer was mild with average heat (no extreme temperatures), and we were a good 3-4 weeks behind our usual ripening pattern. Then it warmed up in late September, enabling the fruit to achieve full maturity. The end result was a more “claret-style” Zinfandel with tea-like aromatics and lots of bright, up-front fruit. The average brix was a very ripe 26.8. We harvested this fruit on September 19th and 20th.
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Winemaking
The Zinfandel grapes were crushed and de-stemmed into stainless steel tanks and fermented for 10-12 days until dryness. The Hard Press juice was not used for these lots - only the best fermenter lot was used. After two rackings, the wine was racked into both new and used American Oak barrels and aged for 9 ½ months. It was bottled in September 2005 to capture the essence of its fruit.
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Winemaker's Notes
Raspberry fruit will hit your nose right off the bat, followed by tea-like aromas mingling with hints of vanilla and mocha. The flavor is spicy and loaded with lush raspberry fruit, sprinkled with nuances of white pepper. The finish is soft with lingering fruit. This is an extremely drinkable wine that does not taste overripe or port-like. We at Sebastiani believe Zinfandel should not have an overly high alcohol, and this wine is a testament to that, making it very food-friendly. Try it with Cajun food or barbecued meats. |
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Mark R. Lyon, Winemaker
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| Technical
Data |
| Appellation: |
Sonoma Valley |
Composition: |
98.1% Zinfandel, 1.9% Petite Sirah |
| Cooperage: |
Aged 9 ½ months in new and used American oak barrels |
Alcohol: |
14.4% |
| TA: |
.55 g/100ml
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pH: |
3.71 |
| Production: |
700 cases
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