2007 R&B; Cellars "Swingsville" Zinfandel 750ml

We have found over the years that oftentimes the best blend of a certain varietal will be better with a mix of vineyards within a region, and also that blending in a small amount of a complementary varietal can add significantly to the complexity of the final wine. This superb wine is a combination of Zinfandel from an exceptional vineyard in Lodi and a small percentage of Petite Sirah, which added considerable richness to the overall wine.


In order to create a rich and velvety yet fruity wine, we took Zinfandel from the LDL Vineyard, which is a classic old vine vineyard with 70 year old vines. The fruit shows bright berry but still has that sweet jammy fruit character and great structure. Petite Sirah from the LDL Vineyard was added in to the final blend for additional richness and intensity of fruit. The oak program, a combination of new French and American oak, was limited so that the wine would be well balanced and supple. The wine was cross-flow-filtered, which also contributed to leveling out the tannins and making the wine eminently drinkable upon release.


TASTING NOTES


The wonderful fresh berry fruit from the LDL Vineyard combines with the smooth French and American oak flavors to achieve a super harmony in the bouquet and taste. The LDL Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel has a zesty complexity, color complexity and soft mouthfeel. The Petite Sirah enhances the structure and color of the wine and punches up the darker berry fruit character in the wine. The bouquet shows fresh strawberry and raspberry with hints of pepper and spice. The flavors are ripe berry with creamy cherries and an elegant spicy aftertaste. This is the third vintage from this vineyard and we think it is our best to date. We extended the oak program for an additional 3 months to add greater complexity and structure to the wine.