Saracina "Pick and Shovel" Zinfandel 2009

Vintage and Release Information

Mendocino County 2009
Released January 3, 2011
Limited Production of 194 cases

Varietal Composition

100% Zinfandel

Technical Data

14.9% alcohol by volume
0.54 titratable acidity
pH 3.81
Bottled August 26, 2010

Vineyards and Harvest

The grapes were sourced from two organically farmed vineyards:  our estate Pick and Shovel Vineyard and Sawyer Vineyard.  Our Pick and Shovel Vineyard, located on a steep, rocky, well-drained, southeast-facing hillside directly above our wine caves, produces small berries and clusters with intense perfume and briary nuances.  We planted this vineyard in 2000 with the venerable DuPratt clone on St. George rootstock.

Sawyer Vineyard is a hilltop site above the Ukiah Valley looking down over Lake Mendocino.  Although only 12 years old, this vineyard was planted to mimic the old-vine vineyards of Dry Creek Valley.  It is dry-farmed with wide spacing and head-pruned vines on a venerable Dry Creek clone on St. George rootstock.  The soil is an ideal deep bench-land red loam.

2009 was one of the driest growing seasons on record.  More than any other variety, lack of ground moisture equates to low juice-to-skin ratios.  We saw the lowest berry weights to date in 2009.  These factors led to great concentration in the finished wine.  Both vineyards were picked on October 1, 2009. 

Winemaking and Cooperage

The grapes were harvested by hand, de-stemmed and gently crushed into a closed-top tank.  Native yeast fermentation began seven days later.  Post-fermentation extended maceration with heat for one week.  Free-run juice was then drained directly into Taransaud barrels, 50% of which were new.  Native malolactic fermentation was complete by mid-February 2010.  The wine was racked just three weeks prior to bottling.  We bottled unfiltered on August 26, 2010.

Winemaker

Alex MacGregor

Winemaker's Comments

Highly concentrated, our 2009 Zinfandel is deep on blackberry fruit with sweet soil and spice notes.  The palate is balanced and supple with a layered richness and enough tannin to ensure even more sophistication in years to come.