Renwood Zinfandel Old Vine Amador County California 2005

Winemaker's Notes:

Winemaker's Notes The 2004 Jack Rabbit Flat Zinfandel is garnet in color. It has aromas of cherry pie, holiday spices, vanilla and truffle. On the palate, flavors of blackberry jam, cherry, white pepper, cocoa, mocha and caramel linger through the finish. The tannins are full and the wine should cellar well for 6-8 years. Vintage The growing season of 2004 offered very warm springtime conditions. The warm temperatures advanced bud break by approximately three weeks, which gave the vines quite a head start for the season. The warm spring conditions led directly into summer time heat as temperatures were above normal in June and July. Essentially the vines went from winter to summer to fall in record time and harvest began in mid August and was over by the end of September. The heat combined with a smallish crop load gave excellent sugars but not much hang time. Ripe and heady, the grapes were super concentrated and powerful and practically jumped from the bin into the tanks. Vineyards The block called "Jack Rabbit Flat" Zinfandel comes from the Fox Creek Vineyard, which is one of the classic ancient vineyards of Amador County that was planted over 80 years ago. This immaculately maintained vineyard gives the head-trained vines the ability to ripen to maximum potential. Thus, the fruit is picked at the highest degree of ripeness, resulting in a wine of great richness and complexity. Fermentation and Aging The fruit was fermented in closed top stainless steel tank, followed by 12 day extended maceration on the skins. The wine was aged 18 months in a combination of New French and Hungarian oak and 2-year-old French oak. This vintage was quite a bit smaller and we bottled only half of our usual production. Winemaker's Notes Vintage The growing season of 2005 started out with a normal spring but the record winter and spring rainfall gave plenty of early growth. A hot early summer continued the growth and berry development and a large crop was the result. The weather remained dry throughout the harvest, resulting in perfect fruit condition. Vineyards The block called "Jack Rabbit Flat" Zinfandel comes from the Fox Creek Vineyard, which is one of the classic ancient vineyards of Amador County that was planted over 80 years ago. Rancher Sue Fox manages to find time between her horses and Brangus cattle to tend to this national treasure we know as Jack Rabbit Flat. This immaculately maintained vineyard gives the head-trained vines the ability to ripen to maximum potential. The fruit is picked at the highest degree of ripeness, resulting in a wine of great richness and complexity. The 2005 Jack Rabbit Flat Zinfandel is brick red in color. The aromas of tart cherry, truffle, cedar, holiday spices, and vanilla waft from the glass with each swirl. On the palate, flavors of berry pie, white pepper, cocoa powder, mocha and caramel linger through the finish. The tannins are full and the wine should cellar well for 6-8 years. Our oldest vineyard it still continues to produce alluring wines of outstanding character.