Zinfandel The Railyard Alexander Valley – 2020

A “trig” has been used for many years to establish boundary lines. Trigonometrical stations were set on the top of hills and used as surveying sites. Just as my father was a land surveyor and used these trigs as a reference, so do I when it comes to well-known vineyard sites.

The Railyard Vineyard sits just north of the town of Geyserville and was planted in pre-phylloxera times on St. George rootstock. Vines planted on this “old fashioned” rootstock show more vigor than when planted on the more modern AXR1 type. St. George also requires much less water, a key benefit, as California just posted some of the the driest years on record.

• 2020 rainfall was 2/3 of average
• March & April rains made huge impact for vines to weather summer’s hot days and cool nights
• Early warmth precipitated an early harvest, about 10 days ahead of historical Sonoma vintages
• Alexander Valley mitigated heat with intense fogs that rolled in from Pacific coast every 3 days
• Extremely small crop – 60% of normal
• 2020 a light and rare vintage

This wine is dark purple-red in color. It has the classic nose of this area of ripe black cherry, plum, gravel and gun flint with beautiful oak spice. It is a deep wine with many layers with black fruits and an even weight throughout the palate. Full of round, silky tannins that do not overpower the minerality and long finish.

95% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Syrah; alcohol: 14.5%; soil: deep fine sandy loam, estate Railyard Estate vineyard just north of Geyserville; vines planted pre-phylloxera in 1983 on St. George rootstock; aged in 15% new French oak for 16 months.

• 95% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah
• Alcohol: 14.5%
• Total Acidity: 6.3 g/l
• pH: 3.75
• Yield: 5 tons/acre