Winemaker's Notes
Zinfandoodle, non-vintage: What? No, don’t look for your (reading) glasses. This is a blend of some small parts of the Scherrer Zinfandel Vineyard that did not fit perfectly into the Old & Mature Vines blends in the last two years. I took these leftovers from the 2002 and 2003 vintages, and just kept them in barrel until I found an appropriate home for them. As it turned out, mixing the two vintages together brought balance and harmony in a different register than our typical Zinfandel. Heck, if the top Champagne producers routinely do this, why not think outside the ‘vintage box’ with California Zinfandel?
This fun wine reminds me of an Italian Barbera-based wine aged in a good proportion of new French oak more than a CA Zinfandel. While it has a great, acidity-based structure (making it a great pizza wine), it is not intended to age forever. It is intended to be something to share liberally with good friends and food (and fun), just like Uncle Mario and Aunt L’Vere did for their many years together.
