Description
This is a burgeoning new winery in one of the youngest growing regions in America, namely the Inland Valley east of Los Angeles. Sometimes affectionally referred to as Inland Empire, these grapes are coming from places that look a lot like Joshua Tree: Riverside, San Bernardino, and Yucaipa Valley. A desert, in my imagination, but nevertheless a place that's completely challenged my perception of what can be grown where.
VARIETY: Red and White Zinfandel
TERROIR: The soils across the region are quite similar: predominantly decomposed granite from the San Gabriel (Lopez and Rock Farm) and San Bernardino (Snodgrass Vineyard) mountain ranges.
HARVEST: Grapes farmed by Jeff Newton and crew (Rock Farm), Agustine Olvera and crew (Lopez Ranch), and Donna Snodgrass and Cesar Roldan (Snodgrass Vineyard). Wine raised by Herrmann York.
VINIFICATION: The majority of the fruit was pressed, then spontaneously fermented in old French oak. It was dry in about a month and was then racked and aged for 7 months in old French oak.
One barrel of red wine was blended into the white Zinfandel after malolactic conversion was complete. This red wine was vinified 50% whole-cluster under a layer of destemmed fruit for about 10 days. It then aged for 7 months in an old French oak barrel before being blended. Thirty mg/l of sulfur were added to the blend after malolactic conversion was complete.
