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Zinfandel - Mancini Ranch

Zinfandel - Mancini Ranch Wine Details
Price: $25.00 per bottle

Description: I thought it would be very difficult to follow up the 1998 Mancini, a wine that definitely wasn’t for wimps. (Doesn’t another winery market their wines that way? Or was it “no wimpy wines”?). While this wine isn’t the least bit wimpy, the vineyard has learned a few manners. The crop size was similar to that in 1998 but since the spring weather was much more cooperative, we didn’t have to do as much thinning to remove un-ripe fruit. Black purple color. Nose of black currants, black raspberry, pepper and flowers. In the mouth it is quite expansive with flavors of a potpourri of black berries. Quite youthful, it is definitely showing

Varietal Definition
Zinfandel:
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California wine vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in the 'heel' of Italy. It is typically made into a robust red wine. Its taste depends on the ripeness of the grapes from which it is made. Red berry fruits like raspberry predominate in wines from cooler areas such as the Napa Valley, whereas blackberry, anise and pepper notes are more common in wines made in warmer areas such as Sonoma County. Many Zinfandels come from head pruned ‘Old Vines’. ‘Old Vine’ is generally understood to mean a vine that is more than 50 years old and that produces less than three tons per acre. ‘Head Pruning’ is an old European style of pruning that trains the vine into the shape of a goblet. It requires no wires or other complex trellis systems. Head pruning spreads the fruit uniformly along the vine and allows light penetration.In the USA a semi-sweet Rosé (blush-style) wine called ‘White Zinfandel’ has achieved widespread popularity. In fact, this popularity has so outstripped all other forms that many fans think there is actually a grape called “White Zinfandel” (there isn’t)!


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