Heritage Vines Zinfandel
Sonoma County
Heritage Vines Zinfandel affirms our dedication to Zinfandel. Our Heritage Vines Zinfandel comes from an experimental project initiated in 1982 by our Vineyard Manager, Duff Bevill, to preserve the tradition and “heritage” of very old Zinfandel vineyards. Cuttings from Mazzoni Ranch, a pre-Prohibition vineyard near Geyserville, provided budwood for grafting onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock. Then, for several years we worked diligently to screen and propagate virus-free vines that would ultimately produce a crop. Finally, in 1997 the process concluded with a “young vine” wine that displayed “old vine” Zinfandel characteristics.
For us, the future of Old Vine Zinfandel is no longer in doubt. By implementing this process, we feel that the flavors, character, and heritage of these old vineyards will live on in future vintages of our Heritage Vines Zinfandel.
Old Vine Zinfandel
Sonoma County
Beginning with the 1987 vintage, Dry Creek Vineyard was the first winery to consistently use the term “Old Vine.”
Old Vine Zinfandel comes from historic vineyards ranging from 50 to over 100 years in age. Production is very limited as these vines typically yield only 1–2 tons per acre. We are fortunate to be associated with these unique vineyards and are proud to share this exceptional wine with you. Our Old Vine Zinfandel is known for its depth of flavor and spicy, earthy characteristics. Deep color and firm structure are enhanced by the addition of our region’s best Petite Sirah. It is a rich and powerful wine, sure to please even the most discerning palate.
DCV2 Estate Zinfandel – Four Clones Vineyard
Dry Creek Valley
2011 marked the first vintage of this single vineyard Zinfandel from our appropriately named estate DCV2 – Four Clones Vineyard. This incredible 4.4 acre property, located in front of the winery, is a throwback to a bygone era of grape growing. Planted in 2010, this traditional head-pruned Zinfandel vineyard incorporates four distinct clones – Bradford Mountain, St. Peter’s Church, Primativo and Dupratt on St. George rootstock. Our hope is that this vineyard preserves the heritage and authenticity of old vine vineyards for generations to come.
Estate Zinfandel – Spencer’s Hill Vineyard
Dry Creek Valley
Spencer’s Hill Zinfandel is grown in two small Zinfandel parcels in our estate Endeavour vineyard. The small clusters and low yields from this part of the vineyard provide us with fruit that is rich, ripe and full of expressive blackberry Zinfandel flavors. Named after Kim and Don Wallace’s son, Spencer, this outstanding wine is as precocious as its namesake and expresses true Dry Creek Valley terroir.
Somers Ranch Zinfandel
Dry Creek Valley
Somers Ranch is a well-known property located at the southern tip of the Dry Creek Valley. Most of the ranch has eastern facing hillside vineyards which allow for optimum morning sun exposure. The grapes for this zinfandel come from two adjacent parcels that overlook the ranch. This was one of the first vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley to be planted using the Heritage clone selection. Now over 20 years old, these vines produce rich, flavorful grapes that are balanced and juicy.
Beeson Ranch Zinfandel
Dry Creek Valley
Beeson Ranch Zinfandel is a tribute to Perry Beeson’s loving hand and meticulous attention to detail in the vineyard. Mr. Beeson farmed his ranch for more than four decades until his passing in March 2005. His passion and love of the vineyard live on with each new vintage of this single-vineyard Zinfandel.
Located on the western slopes of Dry Creek Valley, the 5-acre Beeson Ranch vineyard is characterized by white pepper and cardamom aromas combined with rich blackberry and raspberry flavors. For over 35 years, this expressive vineyard has been an important component in our Old Vine Zinfandel program. The Beeson Ranch, planted in the 1890s is head pruned and dry farmed.
Vogensen Ranch Zinfandel
Dry Creek Valley
Vogensen Ranch rises more than 800 feet off the valley floor. For years, we have sourced grapes from this ranch exclusively for both our Heritage Vines and Old Vine Zinfandel bottlings. Our Vogensen Ranch Zinfandel emphasizes a steeply sloped, well draining area of the vineyard called “Barn Block”. The undulating nature of the terrain and east facing sun exposure provide us grapes that are beautifully ripened and lead to a wine that is silky, textured and well balanced.
DCV7 Estate Zinfandel – Wallace Ranch
Dry Creek Valley
Our DCV7 Estate Zinfandel which we call Wallace Ranch, is a case study in the preservation of iconic Old Vine Zinfandel. Now 25 years old, this incredible vineyard was the first to be planted using the Heritage Vines budwood concept. As a young Zinfandel vineyard, we isolated virus free budwood from a pre-Prohibition era property planted in 1906. We then grafted the budwood onto rootstock planted in our estate DCV7 vineyard, forever preserving the Heritage or link to the Old Vines. The resulting wine honors the aromatics and flavor profile of Old Vine Zinfandel with Asian spices, black tea and white pepper nuances.
Petite Zin Rosé
Dry Creek Valley
This delicious wine was crafted, first and foremost, from our love of Zinfandel and our desire to drink Zin on warm summer nights. Now in its eleventh vintage, this wine was produced from 75% Zinfandel, 24% Petite Sirah and 1% Alicante Bouschet and received four hours of skin contact before the juice was bled off. Additional stainless steel fermentation and voilà – a terrific summer Rosé for just about any outdoor occasion!
Late Harvest Zinfandel
Sonoma County
Our Late Harvest Zinfandel is only produced when weather conditions during harvest are ideal. Warm breezy afternoons help dry the fruit, concentrating its sugar and acid. In exceptional years, Botrytis Cinerea, known as “noble rot”, will also be present, further concentrating the sugar and the flavors in the grapes.
As with our Soleil, the Late Harvest Zinfandel is made in very limited quantities. It has become quite a cult favorite and is especially wonderful with chocolate.