Alderbrook's Zinfandel Program
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Old Vine Zinfandel
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Reserve, Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
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Vineyard Designate Zinfandel's (coming fall '06)
Accentuating Appellation Distinctiveness
With the Reserve and Old Vine Zinfandels, Alderbrook Winery has delivered exceptional structure and style while capturing the essence of two Sonoma County appellations: the rich, dense complexity of the Dry Creek Valley with blackberries and licorice overtones, and the signature soft red fruit characteristics of the Russian River Valley - cranberry, pomegranate, raspberry and rose petal.
Zinfandel - more than any other varietal - is extremely finicky to grow. Two vineyards planted with identical vines and rootstock, located just 100 yards apart can have totally different flavor profiles in their wines. Consequently, Alderbrook's winemaking team regularly visits the vineyards to get a feel for the way the fruit will show. When he spots a particularly great vineyard, with healthy, strong vines responding well to the terroir, it is earmarked as a prime contender for the Reserve program.
Zinfandel Vineyards
Always insisting on perfect fruit, the Alderbrook winemaking team firmly believes in studying the Zinfandel vineyards from bud to harvest.
On these excursions, they specifically look for vineyards that embody two important characteristics: firstly, the climate, soil and vineyard practices such as drainage and trellising must be in balance, supporting strong vines in harmony with their terroir. In addition, Zinfandel vineyards selected must produce premium quality grapes, with flavor profiles that are true to their particular appellation and Zinfandel varietal.
For the Reserve and Old Vine Zinfandel program, the Alderbrook winemaking team specifically sought out Zinfandel vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley appellations.
"We had always wanted to create a Zinfandel with all the characteristics of a great Dry Creek Valley wine, and a Zinfandel that captured the fundamental beauty of the Russian River Valley. We found what we thought were the best Zinfandel vineyards in each appellation and, when the grapes finally arrived at Alderbrook, we sent them to open top fermentors and tasted from barrel each week for months to see if our theory was correct," explains Rob Weinstock, Chief Viticulturalist for the Terlato Wine Group.
When to Harvest
"While all grapes ripen unevenly to a certain extent, Zinfandel is the most notorious varietal of all," explains Weinstock. "Each cluster will contain berries in differing stages of ripeness. Towards harvest time, our goal is to get the unripe berry flavors to catch up to the grapes that are ripe, without the riper fruit becoming raisins. The riper the fruit, the fuller the ultimate flavors in the wines."
The longer a grape is left on the vine, the higher its sugar level will rise. As the sugars rise, acidity falls with a series of chemical changes that can lead to unacceptably high alcohol. This polarization is less evident in older Zinfandel grape vines. As the sugar level rises in the grapes on old Zinfandel vines, its counterpart, acidity, degenerates more slowly than in other varietals. A talented winemaker will turn old vine Zinfandel grapes harvested at a higher sugar level into full-bodied, fruit-forward wine without high alcohol affecting the balance.
The Alderbrook winemaking team encourages growers to keep their grapes on the vines until the sugar levels reach as high as 28° Brix, challenging more conventional picking standards of around 24° Brix. As time progresses and the prospect of rain becomes a reality, growers raise concern of crop spoilage. "We'll resist picking the grapes until as long as reasonably possible," says Christie. "Some of the old-time growers were skeptical at first, but now that they've tasted the wines, they understand our way of thinking!"
During harvest, the individual Zinfandel vineyards undergo particular scrutiny, with the fruit from each vineyard kept separate through the fermentation process.
Winemaking Technique
For the Reserve and Old Vine Zinfandels, the Alderbrook winemaking team instituted a regime of small, open top five-ton fermentors -- a mixing technique new to Alderbrook, but in itself very traditional. At harvest, the grapes are destemmed but not crushed, and put directly into these fermentors, left to cold soak for 3-5 days, then to ferment for 7-10 additional days.
Four times a day during fermentation, cellar workers use a special paddle to punch the grape skins down into the juice. This physically taxing technique, usually associated with Pinot Noir, is in fact a very gentle method of extracting optimal color and flavor from the grapes without crushing the seeds and releasing potential bitterness.