2016 Sonoma Valley "Rossi Ranch" Zinfandel
90% Zinfandel
7% Mixed Black Varieties (Peloursin, Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noir, and Tannat)
3% Petite Sirah
With the interplants of mixed blacks beginning to produce, this wine has been pushed down a different path, a path that we very much like! Picked on September 20th and 26th, both lots were treated similarly – long cold soaks, gentle pump-overs and punch-downs, and pressing after 17 days on the skins. We felt the structure of this wine required a higher percentage of new oak, 37% to be exact. But because of the barrels we use, this wine does not exhibit flavors or aromas of oak, only greater texture and length. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Note:
Medium to medium-dark ruby-garnet. Very deep, brooding aromas of red cherry, black licorice, and the typical Rossi garrigue. Tightly coiled on the palate, flavors of cherry and earth lead to a long and structured finish. This will age very well, developing further complexity with time. Best to let it rest and enjoy 2021 through 2030. If you do open it sooner, be sure to give it a good decant. My bottle was singing on the third day of being opened! (MRO - 07/01/18)