2015 Boatman Zinfandel

Jammy blackberry, cocoa, and mint on the nose. Brambly fruit palate with round, chewy tannins. Balanced acidity and long, sensuous finish. JO (7/18)

This is our second harvest from this Alexander Valley hillside vineyard. These thirty-five year old head trained vines set a small, concentrated crop that reached full ripeness early. Each of the seven vineyard parcels were picked by the third week of August. After malolactic, we selected the Wileys, Flag, and Graveyard blocks for their intense fruit and sumptuous texture. Enjoyable now, this zinfandel will evolve over another five to six years.

In 1972, Tim Boatman planted fifteen acres of zinfandel on the steep hillsides that surround his house. The rocky, east-facing terraces are ideal for growing intense, concentrated fruit.

Rainfall: 33.2” (just below normal)
Bloom: Mid-May
Weather: Very wet December, followed by the driest January on record (0.05”). Cool, wet late spring helped with rainfall totals, but reduced crop. Harvest started early (mid-August) and finished quickly.

Harvest Dates: 19 August
Grapes: Average brix 26.0˚
Fermentation: Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic) fermentations; seven vineyard blocks fermented separately. Pressed at twelve days
Barrels: 100% air-dried american oak barrels (45% two years old, 35% three years old, 20% four years old)
Aging: Twelve months in barrel

Sustainably farmed, hand-harvested Boatman Vineyard grapes; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally-occurring bacteria; 1.5% water addition; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush; 114 ppm over the course of aging); pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.

Average Rating: 90.7

No. of Tasting Notes: 50

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