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Wine Details
Price:
$26.00 per bottle
Description:
The 2003 Dry Creek Zinfandel is the sixth vintage for Christopher Creek Winery. We produced this wine by fermenting the grapes in small open top tanks with two punch downs daily to every “pump over.” After two weeks, the wine was transferred to a mixture of 65% American oak and 35% French oak barrels (25% of the barrels were new oak). Classical Dry Creek Zin in style, the wine exhibits a medium-dark ruby hue, with forward strawberry and raspberry jammy fruit, hints of vanilla, white pepper, spice and a mouth feel that lingers. While still quite young, this intense, perfectly balanced and bright wine is remarkably approachable with medium tannins and an aging potential of about 3-to-4 years. The wine pairs wonderfully with risotto, pasta, turkey, duck, lamb or chicken.
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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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