Zazen Zinfandel 2020

Production Notes

Most Zinfandels drink like flannel pajamas in July: too much of everything. Zazen, on the other hand, provides the crisp comfort of satin sheets with fresh fig and evergreen flavors. Taking a popularly unpopular grape and making something awe-inspiring requires vision and conviction. Yet it starts simply: good grapes. Okay, really good grapes. Here this distinction goes to organically farmed Zinfandel from the Suma Kaw Vineyard — a high-elevation (3,000 feet!) site bordered by coniferous forests and native grasslands. Chenoa and Will carefully hand sorted the grapes and fermented them (destemmed and crushed) in an open-top container. Two weeks later, the wine was transferred into neutral French oak barrels, where it aged for 11.5 months (let’s call it a year). **Barrel aging 101: new barrels add sweet vanilla and clove flavors that overpower the wine. Neutral barrels — barrels that have been used in at least four previous vintages — simply enhance what’s already there (adding style and grace as opposed to flavor).** Finally, let’s not overlook Chenoa and Will’s commitment to working as naturally as it gets: all of their wines (Zazen included) are made with zero additions — no commercial yeast, no SO2 — and are unfined/unfiltered. 95 cases were produced. 14% abv.