Wirz Zinfandel 2018

Production Notes

As with his Riesling, Ryan sources this Zinfandel from the Wirz Vineyard in the foothills of the Gabilan Mountains (in fact, Riesling actually accounts for about 9% of this field blend). The vines were planted in 1902 — just as the first T-rex skeleton was being dug up in Montana. Today they only produce about a ton of fruit per acre (about a quarter of the output of younger vines), which concentrates the fruit, while adding clarity and consistency. The entire field blend goes into a single open-top redwood barrel to ferment (picture a jacuzzi that would suit Paul Bunyun), after which the wine spends 18 months in neutral oak.