Ryan Stirm

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.