Plungerhead

2008 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel

Notes

Dark purple in color, our 2008 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel exudes aromas of jammy plum, dark raspberry, fresh tobacco leaf, sweet leather, and clove spice. The flavor profile is reminiscent of dark cherries, molasses, dried blueberries, and wild strawberry preserves finishing with notes of black tea, red currants, Asian spice, light caramel, and subtle Dry Creek earth. This wine is full of all the Zinfandel spice and notes that you expect from a quality Dry Creek Zinfandel.

The 2008 harvest was a small vintage of good quality fruit. Those who waited too long in Dry Creek were stuck in the rain and suffered with whatever was left on the vine. We picked our grapes just in the nick of time and our result was perfect lip smacking, jammy Zinfandel fruit. With careful fermentation, we steadily fermented this fruit to optimum concentration. When it came to blending, we wanted to increase the spice content of the blend and added 9% of some clove spiked Paso Robles Zinfandel to the blend. And to make this wine even more complex, we added 4% of some 2006 Napa Cab/Merlot blend that was in barrels for more than 3 years to add further depth. A dash of Paso Robles Malbec rounded out the blend. Overall, this blend came together seamlessly with all the richness and spice you expect from a high end Dry Creek Zinfandel.

Pairings

This wine would pair wonderfully with thinly sliced grilled venison with fresh arugula and fig jam on a rustic Italian roll, a porterhouse steak with sautéed wild mushrooms and parsnip puree, or fettuccine Bolognese with roasted garlic bread.