2019 Boatman Graveyard Zinfandel

Floral, raspberry aromas and subtle oak toast. Medium to full bodied, soft, elegant tannins, fresh plum and chaparral with a long finish. JO (7/22)

The Boatman vineyard is planted on a steep rocky hillside. In 1972, Tim Boatman carved terraces that define the individual parcels. At the top of the vineyard, the Graveyard block, named after an adjacent cemetery from the 19th century, typically produces the richest fruit. In 2019, we bottled it separately to showcase its redolent fruit and unabashed zinfandel character. Appealing upon release, it will develop over five years. JO (2/21)

Tim Boatman’s grandparents, Emilia and Eugene Moretti, emigrated from the mountain town of San Pellegrinetto, Italy in the early 1900s. In 1935, Emilia and Eugene were able to acquire this fifty acre ranch that sits in the hills on the border of Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley. Eugene used the property for wood cutting and when he passed away he left the property to Tim’s mother and uncle. Tim purchased the property from them in the mid-sixties, when he was only nineteen years old. 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: 61.2 inches (above normal)
Bloom: May
Weather: Total rainfall for the season was over 60 inches, almost double our usual amounts. The vines responded with bountiful yields of great quality.

Harvest Dates: 26 September
Grapes: Average Brix 24.1˚
TA: 5.87 g/L
pH: 3.76
Fermentation: Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic) fermentations. Pressed at thirteen days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (25% two years old, 75% five years old).
Aging: Fourteen months in barrel

Sustainably farmed, hand-harvested grapes; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; 1.5 g/L tartaric acid added; 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: 93

No. of Tasting Notes: 8

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