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Pedroncelli - Courage Zinfandel 2016
Tasting notes
Opaque ruby-purple at first sight. Aromas of ripe blackberry, cherry, and warm clove. Full bodied with lush red berry, vanilla, mocha notes with a deep spice bramble flavor. Bright acidity and velvety tannins highlight this Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. The lingering finish is framed by pepper and baking spices.
Harvest
The confidence to act in accordance with one's beliefs—for four generations. And it takes courage to be a farmer. Deciding where, how and what to plant in order to bring in the best quality grapes; taking on the challenges Mother Nature sends our way; the labor intensive practices to get the best out of the vine; picking at the perfect moment-all of this requires meticulous attention and courage.
Vineyard
Dave and Dena Faloni are the neighbors behind Courage Zinfandel, a three-generation grape growing family located two miles west of the winery. While most Zinfandel in the valley is head-pruned Dave has trained his vines on a trellis. He knows every quirk of the soil and every vine on their 24 acres having farmed it all of his life.
Wine
The harvest of 2016 began with good growing season conditions that brought with it enough rain during spring to give the vines the push they needed for good production. The summer was warm and even which left enough hang time to fully mature the grapes. Good acid balance and mature tannins with high intensity in aromatics and flavors were the result.
After destemming, the grapes are cold soaked for 2 days in a temperature controlled stainless steel tank. The juice is then inoculated with Pasteur yeast. Daily pumping over the cap (grape skins at the top of the tank) extracts deeper color and makes a fuller bodied wine. The young wine is pressed and sent to storage tanks until barreled down for aging in American oak barrels for sixteen months. This mellows the wine with additional time in oak and gives a deeper complexity as well.
After destemming, the grapes are cold soaked for 2 days in a temperature controlled stainless steel tank. The juice is then inoculated with Pasteur yeast. Daily pumping over the cap (grape skins at the top of the tank) extracts deeper color and makes a fuller bodied wine. The young wine is pressed and sent to storage tanks until barreled down for aging in American oak barrels for sixteen months. This mellows the wine with additional time in oak and gives a deeper complexity as well.
